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.
Picton Railway Station, Picton 7220, New Zealand
01:40 PM
5 hours 40 minutes(approx.)
Christchurch Railway Station, Addington, Christchurch 8011, 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 : Mia_F
Comfy, clean train with a bonus having the outside area which allows you to really take in the stunning views properly! Breathtaking views highly recommend
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Posted On : 2024-04-30
Posted By : Tinks04
Good food, good views. If you are looking for anything else from this train trip you will sadly be disappointed. Picton station is shabby and hasn't been updated for a lifetime. The train carriage is much the same. No working PA system, most headsets connections don't work, and amateurish staff who add zero to the experience - I was a bit embarrassed as a NZer to be honest if this is the trip visitors to our country are experiencing on a daily basis. The seat tables and seat back storage nets need repaired, and the train travels at a painfully slow speed - including multiple stops as other train traffic get priority (which seems crazy given there is one scenic train a day). Overall the train needs significant upgrade and general repairs.
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Posted On : 2024-04-25
Posted By : Bella_C
This took the stress out of driving. The commentary was really good. The dining car and food was great, reasonably priced food. Fully recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-04-25
Posted By : diva763844
Loved this train trip journey and experience from Christchurch to Picton New Zealand.
The views were magnificent, mountain peaks, the ocean so close to the train where seals and sea birds were aplenty. Acres and acres of grape vines as far as the eye could see a vista of richness and cultivated splendour to feast ones eyes upon.
On arriving at the train station it was a bonus to find that the car renyal depots were just across the road and the Interilander Ferry was right next door to the station.
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Posted On : 2024-04-22
Posted By : G_C
The ocean road and scenery was spectacular! I enjoyed sipping on some NZ wine and watching the beautiful scenery. Very relaxing and I enjoyed the whole trip until it became dark at 6pm.
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Posted On : 2024-04-19
Posted By : Aviva_C
Very nice time with a beautiful view of the beautiful landscapes of the south island . Small point less well, as night falls faster in this period and we were on the train for two hours at night.
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Posted On : 2024-04-12
Posted By : MHgoodlife
Absolutely amazing train trip, views are incredible. Outdoor carriage is wonderful. Staff friendly and helpful. Train left late from Picton. Woman issuing boarding passes etc could do with some advice regarding promoting Picton tourist activities, being that the majority of train passengers are tourists. A couple asked her for some ideas of what to do in Picton while they waited for the train departure as they had a few hours in Picton. The lady was very unhelpful, which is crazy considering Picton must rely on the tourist trade. Said ' there's a shipwreck down the road' in a very non enthusiastic manner, and 'there's a museum that might be open'. Both the 'ship wreck' - actually the Edwin Fox museum, and the Picton museum are about 100 metres from the train station so you would think she would have some knowledge about both of these. The Edwin Fox is an incredible tourist destination and would do with having people in the Picton tourist industry recommending it rather than just saying ' there's a shipwreck down the road'. As a tourism operator you would think she would also know the Picton museum hours, and have some enthusiasm about these two places to recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-04-10
Posted By : Laurie_P
Organized, clear instructions as to where to board. Staff was very helpful and available. Like that they collect trash frequently to keep the space clean and enjoyable. Would so recommend this trip even to native Kiwis as it was beautiful.
The only suggestion is to show on the map where you actually are. Most of the trip, unless it was a stop, didn’t really know where we were.
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Posted On : 2024-04-08
Posted By : spenceleysUK
We did this journey in two parts, stopping off in Kaikoura for a night.
The first half, from Picton to Kaikoura, hugged the coastline for much of its route, and was very good. Commentary is provided via a headset, at various points on route, which added to the experience.
Food from the buffet was excellent quality, and very reasonably priced.
Incidentally, if you arrive via the ferry from the north island, then your luggage is transferred directly from the ferry to the train, which was a bonus.
The journey from Kaikoura to Christchurch has a more varied landscape. Again, great food available, and commentary.
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Posted On : 2024-04-03
Posted By : Brian_D
The magnificent scenery together with the timed commentary was outstanding. There were a group of people possibly travelling to a football match seated at the rear of our carriage. They were very noisy and using foul language . The appeared to make no effort to stop this.
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Posted On : 2024-03-22
