Simple view

Five sounds tell you where you are

The line tells you where a train is heading. The family tells you which part of the city you’re in, because every chime ends with its family’s signature.

  • West, guitar
  • Central, pūtōrino
  • East, log drum
  • South, brass
  • Onehunga, bells

E-WSwanson to Manukau

S-CPukekohe to Newmarket

O-WOnehunga to Henderson

West

Guitar

Kingsland out to Swanson

Three plucked guitar notes climbing a major chord. It covers the western suburbs.

13 stations: Kingsland, Morningside, Baldwin Avenue, Mt Albert, Avondale, New Lynn, Fruitvale Road, Glen Eden, Sunnyvale, Henderson, Sturges Road, Rānui, Swanson

Central

Pūtōrino

The four tunnel stations, Waitematā to Maungawhau

A pūtōrino plays two notes, the second a fifth lower. It belongs to the four tunnel stations of the City Rail Link.

4 stations: Waitematā, Te Waihorotiu, Karanga-a-Hape, Maungawhau

East

Log drum

Ōrākei down to Sylvia Park

Two log-drum strikes, high then low, each with a wooden note on top. It starts at Ōrākei, the first stop east of the tunnel, and runs down to Sylvia Park.

5 stations: Ōrākei, Meadowbank, Glen Innes, Panmure, Sylvia Park

South

Brass

Parnell down to Pukekohe and Manukau, plus Grafton

A short brass note, then a longer one a fourth higher. With 21 stations, Grafton and Parnell down to Pukekohe and Manukau, it is the largest family.

21 stations: Parnell, Newmarket, Grafton, Remuera, Greenlane, Ellerslie, Penrose, Ōtāhuhu, Middlemore, Papatoetoe, Puhinui, Manukau, Homai, Manurewa, Te Mahia, Takaanini, Papakura, Drury, Ngākōroa, Paerātā, Pukekohe

Onehunga

Bells

Te Pāpapa and Onehunga, on the Manukau Harbour

Three bell notes falling down a major chord. Only Te Pāpapa and Onehunga have it, on the short branch down to the Manukau Harbour.

2 stations: Te Pāpapa, Onehunga

Three lines

Tap a station to hear its chime, or ride a line from one end to the other.

Station dots

  • West guitar
  • Central pūtōrino
  • East log drum
  • South brass
  • Onehunga bells
Waitematā HarbourManukau HarbourCity Rail Link tunnelWaitematāTe WaihorotiuKaranga-a-HapeMaungawhauKingslandMorningsideBaldwin AvenueMt AlbertAvondaleNew LynnFruitvale RoadGlen EdenSunnyvaleHendersonSturges RoadRānuiSwansonŌrākeiMeadowbankGlen InnesPanmureSylvia ParkParnellNewmarketGraftonRemueraGreenlaneEllersliePenroseŌtāhuhuMiddlemorePapatoetoePuhinuiManukauHomaiManurewaTe MahiaTakaaniniPapakuraDruryNgākōroaPaerātāPukekoheTe PāpapaOnehunga

Guess the stop

Play a stop at random, then pick the family or the station.

Five families to choose from, 44 stops in the draw.

Streak 0 · Best 0 · Right 0 of 0

Departures, all stops45 stops

West

Every chime here ends on the guitar

Kingsland out to Swanson

  • Eden Park

    Ref whistle and crowd swell

    E-WO-W

  • Celesta sunrise

    E-WO-W

  • Westminster doorbell

    E-WO-W

  • Ōwairaka

    Bowed glass, then a tap

    E-WO-W

  • Itsy-bitsy spider on marimba

    E-WO-W

  • Crockery clinking up a scale

    E-WO-W

  • Marimba tune, then an apple bite

    E-WO-W

  • Toy piano, drumroll, cymbal

    E-WO-W

  • Whistling over a strummed chord

    E-WO-W

  • Count-in and power chords

    E-WO-W

  • Ice-cream van jingle

    E-W

  • E major chord swelling in

    E-W

  • Waitākere Ranges

    Kererū wings, then a tūī

    E-W

Central

Every chime here ends on the pūtōrino

The four tunnel stations, Waitematā to Maungawhau

  • Britomart

    Ferry horn, then a pūtōrino phrase

    E-WS-C

  • Aotea

    Stream water, then an organ cadence

    E-WS-C

  • K Road

    Soft drone, then a disco groove

    E-WS-C

  • Mt Eden

    Summit wind and a rising pūtōrino

    E-WO-W

East

Every chime here ends on the log drum

Ōrākei down to Sylvia Park

  • Waves and a slow marimba

    E-W

  • Bike bells on the shared path

    E-W

  • Lo-fi beat and electric piano

    E-W

  • Harp over still water

    E-W

  • Four-note mall PA chime

    E-W

South

Every chime here ends on the brass

Parnell down to Pukekohe and Manukau, plus Grafton

  • Cathedral bells ringing rounds

    S-C

  • Horn fanfare in two bursts

    S-CO-W

  • Domain

    Glasshouse tones and drips

    S-CO-W

  • String quartet cadence

    S-CO-W

  • Cornwall Park

    Slow pipe tune and a lamb

    S-CO-W

  • Racecourse

    Racecourse bugle call

    S-CO-W

  • Scrap-metal marimba

    S-CO-W

  • Pātē and handclaps

    E-WS-C

  • Slow harp arpeggios

    E-WS-C

  • Harmonium and tabla

    E-WS-C

  • Jet climb and airport chime

    E-WS-C

  • Log drums and ukulele

    E-W

  • Five clear, widely spaced tones

    S-C

  • Botanic Gardens

    Two bellbirds and a breeze

    S-C

  • Drips into a bucket

    S-C

  • Dribble and arena organ

    S-C

  • Slow military bugle

    S-C

  • Hammers and a rising chord

    S-C

  • Stream and kōauau

    Under construction

    S-C

  • Bellbird and a far-off bell

    S-C

  • Plucked tune and a skylark

    S-C

Onehunga

Every chime here ends on the bells

Te Pāpapa and Onehunga, on the Manukau Harbour

  • Breeze and harbour bells

    O-W

  • Manukau Harbour

    Ship's bell and gulls

    O-W