With steeply soaring mountains on one side and the sweeping Pacific Ocean on the other, find yourself immersed in the rugged coastal architecture of the east coast of the South Island. Surrounded by a myriad of sea and birdlife, you’ll hug 98km of untouched coastline, winding your way through lush native bush, charming coastal towns and dramatic seascapes.
While on board enjoy the journey in award winning world class carriages with specially designed seats. Awaken your senses in the open air viewing decks or sit back and enjoy the GPS triggered audio commentary available through headphones at every seat. All trains have a licensed café carriage providing snacks and light meals (at own expense).
See Availability.
Christchurch Railway Station, Addington, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
07:00 AM
5 hours 40 minutes(approx.)
Picton Railway Station, Picton 7220, New Zealand
Infants must sit on laps
Wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wheelchair accessible, please advise at time of booking if travelling with a wheelchair
Stroller accessible
Please arrive at least 20 minutes prior to scheduled departure and check in at the station to receive your boarding pass
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Posted By : L96KAgregp
All Great Journey NZ tours are amateurish. The recorded commentary “jumps” leaving the listener without the full story. The PA system is used when the other commentary is running so you end up hearing nothing.Pretty poor programming. Many headsets do not work meaning you don’t get what you pay for. Tables on back of seats fall down without any cushioning ands a number of these are faulty. Seats are uncomfortable. Watch the videos of these trips but only take the Trans Alpine. The others are just slow, uncomfortable and boring 3rd class rail travel
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Posted On : 2024-04-21
Posted By : Lauren_K
The views, especially along the coast, are wonderful.
Friendly staff and fellow travelers were also a plus. And the open air car was fantastic.
Unfortunately the commentary wasn’t functioning, which was quite a disappointment.
And the food options could be better, though they were adequate.
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Posted On : 2024-04-12
Posted By : CarmelNewcastle_Aus
From checking in at Christchurch Railway Station and boarding the train to arriving in Picton, the 5hrs 40min went so quick. There was always something to see, whether it was keeping an eye out for seals and dolphins or marvelling at the beautiful scenery along the coast. The open platform at the back was great for taking photos and stretching the legs. Luck was on our side as we had seats on the coastal side and the sun was shining.
We purchased food from the café and found the prices to be very reasonable.
The comfortable seats with plenty of leg room made the trip very relaxing and so pleased we paid the more expensive fare to travel by train instead of the bus.
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Posted On : 2024-03-26
Posted By : AnnaCatharina_K
The best way to travel through remarkable New Zealand, would do it again!
We enjoyed it and even got lucky to see seals 😍
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Posted On : 2024-03-24
Posted By : willjc95
Certainly the best railway journey I have ever done, the time went very quickly. The views along the way were super and having the outside viewing carriage is handy too. The coastal element was a real highlight, we were lucky to see stacks of dolphins and a few seals too. The microwave cooked breakfast was disappointing for the cost - surprisingly not up to the standard of the airline breakfasts that we encountered. They offered a few different bottled beers which was good. I well recommend this train journey, it’s seriously impressive.
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Posted On : 2024-03-10
Posted By : Danette_H
The entire journey was wonderful however the highlights: the coastal panaroma view on one side and the mountain ranges on the other - stunning landscape; beautiful brown rolling hills of Marlborough, the winery and seaviews; the array of pink colours of Lake Grassmere, the lovely glimpse of picturesque Picton as you descend towards the township - so blessed to live in such a beautiful land. Absolutely incredible stunningly beautiful landscape 💕✨💕✨💕✨
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Posted On : 2024-03-09
Posted By : Deborah_J
We experienced a very enjoyable ride. The views were wonderful and especially loved seeing the dolphins frolicking south of Kaikoura. Not to be missed!
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Posted On : 2024-03-08
Posted By : lsonetti
The coastline views were amazing. The seats were comfortable. It was a very relaxing way to travel. Last part of trip went through al the vineyards.
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Posted On : 2024-03-04
Posted By : DayTrip568067
A very worthwhile journey.....even better on a sunny day. Seats are comfortable although found the carriage quite chilly. Commentary interesting but cut out on several occasions. Staff very friendly, helpful and professional.
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Posted On : 2024-02-29
Posted By : aspie2
Nice Scenic Plus - sparkling water to keep us going, dining music to chill to upon boarding and food and alcohol to help pass the time. Those six hours went pretty quick.
I just wish thr open air carriage is very close to us, so we don't get hassled by jealous passengers. Also wished our non-paying passengers stay out of our cabin, unless they are interested in an upgrade.
Also, whomever is the MC, please ensure you pronounce our Te Reo Landmarks correctly. Also goes for the staff who can't even pronounce Tohu Wines correctly. If I was the boss - I'll make them do a Te Reo course, non-compliance will lead to no job on board.
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Posted On : 2024-02-27
