We took the TranzAlpine train from Greymouth to Christchurch after many days of driving around both North and South Islands. It provided a much needed respite from negotiating those twisting and turning NZ roads and allowed the driver (husband) and navigator (wife) a bit of 'time out'! We had driven from Queenstown to Fox Glacier (we recommend Ropatini's B &... more

Interesting scenery but not as spectacular as I had hoped. I did Christchurch-Greymouth return in a day ,and we got the same commentary from the same person, with the same pathetic jokes, both ways. There really should be a "sient" car for those who don't want repetition. The train is old but comfortable enough with big windows. There is a... more

It takes a lot to get me to rate any service, product, etc., as low as this one. As a traveler I am fully aware things won't always be to my liking, that the world isn't perfect, etc., but this experience left me furious. My husband and I were on a HAL cruise to New Zealand with one of our... more

We took the Tranz Alpine train from Greymouth (west coast) to Christchurh (east coast). It was better than driving since we got to relax and view the scenery. We saw lots of mountains and streams, fields of lupine and a river gorge. It is about a 4 hour trip one way. You can either sit inside or go to the... more

The TranzAlpine train ride was exactly what we were hoping for. We booked online the night before, and did a day excursion from Christchurch, stopping in the tiny town of Moana before taking the return train back to Christchurch. It was a relaxing and pleasant way to see some great scenery. It was the beginning of summer so the fields... more

Watch out if you want to take photos from the open observation car. I ended up covered in a fine layer of diesel engine soot after spending some time there shooting photos. We took the train back to Christchurch after spending almost 2 weeks in the Southern Alps. The sceenry was nice but nothing compared to the rest of the... more

We booked our seats on the Tranzalpine online. It was really easy to do and we got a good price. My husband wasn't too keen as he thought it was too long to spend in a train but we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The scenery was amazing even in February when there wasn't any snow. The commentary was excellent and... more

We enjoyed this trip, but would agree with the 5 out of 10 rating that someone else gave to it. We travelled in April, but it would probably be better later in the year when there would be snow on the mountain peaks and possible more water in the rivers. The seating is similar to economy or coach class on... more

Went on March 28 to the TranzAlpine train trip to Greymouth. Train loads about 0745 and leaves at 0815, reserved seats and usually packed so plan ahead. About 4.5 hours each way. The window seats are A and D. Be sure to get on the C-D side on the way to Greymouth and the A-B side on the way to... more