TranzAlpine: Scenic Train Christchurch - Greymouth — Attraction in Christchurch

Amazing train journey, one of the world’s greats and one of three seminal journeys in New Zealand. Around 5 hours of stunning scenery as the train transitions from Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthurs Pass. We did the Scenic Plus option - more expensive, but all food and drinks are included, and the major selling point is a private open air viewing car for the one carriage (up to five regular carriagefuls have to share/fight? for limited viewing space in the other viewing car). Many make the return journey the same day (after an hours wait in Greymouth - emphasis on the grey… - while others leave the train to pursue more sights on the West Coast.

We thought we were being clever by booking a one-way trip, spending a couple of hours in Greymouth, then taking a taxi to Hokitika airport for a 40 minute return flight back over the mountains to Christchurch. The flight was cancelled (apparently a not uncommon event), so do this at your own risk! In fact ANZ provided a minibus for the 7 of us who absolutely had to get back to Christchurch that night. We left at 5:30om getting to Christchurch at 8:45om. It was an inventive solution - if sometimes terrifying - a drive along the mountain passes in pitch blackness! But if you’re brave and have flexibility, flying back can theoretically be a clever way to enjoy the TranzAlpine and get back for a fraction of the return train cost, and a few hours earlier, too...

My wife & I recently travelled on the Tranz Alpine rail journey from Christchurch to Greymouth & couldn’t be more impressed. We travelled in the Scenic Plus carriage & highly recommend this for those who enjoy their creature comforts when travelling. From the seating comfort to the dining, the overall experience was exceptional. We took the morning trip where breakfast was served with espresso style coffees, followed by lunch service, all of which was plated & very very yummy. There was also a wide variety of drinks on offer, including bubbles, wines, beers & the list goes on. As for the journey itself, yet another breathtaking experience like everywhere one travels in this beautiful country. The journey takes around 5 hours & goes over the Canterbury plains prior to heading up the NZ South Island Southern Alps, stopping at Arthur’s Pass. There is an excellent audio guide you can follow which provides extremely informative & interesting information about each of the areas the train passes through including the Māori significance of each of these areas, as well as the efforts of the early pioneers. The Scenic Plus experience also comes with a private outdoor carriage exclusively for its Scenic Plus passengers which is another great bonus of booking Scenic Plus. Highly recommend this trip, promise you will not be...

We took the train from Christchurch all the way to Greymouth as part of a small group National Geographic tour of NZ. Twelve of our group's tickets were in one train car, but mine was in the next, adjoining car in the middle of another (larger) tour group. Thus, I was separated from our group as well as my wife. It was not a problem as the other group was almost as fun as our group and I was welcomed by them immediately. The initial part of the ride was rather mundane, but then we began to climb and enter into more dramatic areas. Our car was adjacent to the "Open Air Viewing Car" which became quite crowded at times, but all were polite and friendly. There were headsets which gave narration to the areas that we passed, but I mainly chatted with others or simply soaked in the vistas. As far as photos being taken, it dawned on many that scenes captured at speed as we headed west would never encapsulate what we were actually seeing. So (along with many others), I simply stopped taking photos. It was pretty cool, but not the overwhelming experience that I would have later down in Milford Sound and Fiordlands. However, I am very happy that I did the ride and met a ton of new people; some that I actually saw again at other stops further south...