The view from the TranzAlpine train

Christchurch to Greymouth on the TranzAlpine train

It's perhaps the most scenic train ride in New Zealand, and one of the most scenic train trips anywhere in the world.  The TranzAlpine, run by New Zealand train operator KiwiRail as part of their Great Journeys of New Zealand division, runs once daily between Christchurch, Arthur's Pass and Greymouth on the South Island's west coast, through the amazing misty mountain scenery of the Southern Alps.  The journey takes 4½ hours, and if you like you can go there and back in a day with an hour in Greymouth.  Or take the TranzAlpine one-way, and connect with buses down the west coast to Franz Josef Glacier.  Although I rate the North Island's Northern Explorer from Auckland to Wellington as a far more historic and epic route, and in many ways almost equally scenic, you certainly won't regret buying a ticket for the TranzAlpine!  This page explains the TranzAlpine's timetable, fares, how to buy the cheapest tickets, and what there is to see on the journey.

Tranz-Alpine train times & fares

The TranzAlpine is the most successful of all of Kiwi Rail's passenger trains, popular with tour groups because of the spectacular scenery through the Southern Alps between Christchurch and the South Island's west coast at Greymouth. 

The Man in Seat 61 says:  "It's a fantastic trip that easily lives up to its reputation, but in many ways the TranzAlpine is not as epic or historic as the Auckland-Wellington Northern Explorer, which remains my personal favourite NZ train ride."

Days of operation:  The TranzAlpine has historically run daily all year.  In 2024 it's running on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays in each direction until late September, then every day.

Composition:  Scenic class seating, Scenic Plus class seating (with at-seat meal included), cafe-bar & open air viewing platform, .  The journey is 223.8km.

Children aged 2-14 travel at reduced fare.  Infants under 2 travel free.

£1 = 1.9 NZ Dollars.   US$1 = 1.55 NZ$

How to buy tickets

• Option 1, quickly & easily buy tickets from reliable agency 12go.com.

  Scroll down the search results to see the train.  Tickets are usually confirmed within 24h and emailed to you.

• Option 2, you can easily buy tickets at www.klook.com, in various currencies, you are emailed a voucher.

• Option 3, buy tickets at KiwiRail's own site www.greatjourneysofnz.co.nz.  You print your own ticket.

  To book by phone with KiwiRail, call 0800 TRAINS when in NZ or call + 64 4 495 0775 from outside NZ.

What's the train like?

The TranzAlpine was relaunched with new 'AK' panoramic sightseeing coaches built in Kiwi Rail's Dunedin workshops in 2011-2012.  These have replaced the old rebuilt 1950s carriages used until late 2012. Photos courtesy of James Chuang

Scenic class

Most seats face the direction of travel, all line up with huge panoramic windows - note the roof skylights too!.  There's loads of legroom even if you're over six feet tall.  Seats are not allocated at booking, but by the train manager before departure.  However, if you book by phone (or book online then call Kiwi Rail's freephone number when you get to NZ quoting your booking reference) you can make a seating request.  Seats on the right-hand side of the train going to Greymouth probably get the best views, or the left-hand side returning to Christchurch.  Four friends or family travelling together could request one of the few bays of 4 seats facing each other around a table, keen photographers might want to request a seat close to the open-air viewing car.  Requests can't be guaranteed, but it doesn't hurt to ask!  All your heavy baggage is checked in to the baggage van, only hand luggage may be taken into the seating coaches.  All seats in the new 'AK' cars have power sockets for mobiles, laptops or cameras (New Zealand voltage and plug, of course).  Larger photo.

Cafe-bar

In the centre of the train is a counter selling tea, coffee, wine, beer, spirits, snacks & light microwaveable meals at reasonable prices.  I can recommend a cream tea in the afternoon, and a glass of Montana Sauvignon Blanc!  You take your food & drink back to your seat. Bring cash if possible as cards are sometimes not accepted if the credit card machine is out of cellphone range.  Larger photo.

Open-air viewing platform

At one end of the train is a large open-air viewing platform, ideal for seeing and photographing the scenery, with no glass in between you and it.  Children must be accompanied.  The viewing car now has additional rails to prevent people leaning out.  A second open-air car is now provided on the TranzAlpine exclusively for Scenic Plus class guests.

Scenic Plus class

Scenic Plus class was added to the TranzAlpine in April 2023, in a dedicated carriage with a special livery and extra-legroom reclining seats.  A freshly-cooked meal & wine is included, prepared by a chef in the adjacent kitchen car and served at your seat.

Travel tips

• Make a seating request:  Seats are not allocated at booking, but on departure.  If you book by phone (or book online and then call Kiwi Rail's freephone number when you get to NZ at least the day before travel, quoting your booking reference) you can make a seating request.  Seats on the right-hand side of the train going to Greymouth probably get the best views, or the left-hand side returning to Christchurch.  Keen photographers could also request seats close to the viewing platform.  Families or small groups may prefer a bay of 4 seats around a table to unidirectional seats.  Requests can't be guaranteed, of course, but it doesn't hurt to ask!

A journey on the Tranz-Alpine

• You should check in at least 20 minutes before departure at Christchurch's passenger railway station.  This small modern rail terminal opened in 1993 in the suburb of Addington, about 3 km (1.5 miles) southwest of Christchurch city centre.  You check-in at the desks in the main entrance hall, where you are allocated your seat numbers.  Heavy baggage must be checked in to the baggage car.  The station stands in the middle of an unremarkable industrial estate, but this whole area was once the massive Addington railway works where many of New Zealand Railways' locomotives and rolling stock were made.  There's little left to show for it now!  Christchurch's original railway station was located on Moorhouse Avenue immediately to the south of the city centre.  Until the recent earthquake, the old station building, completed in 1960 to a design first published in 1938, still existed and was being used as the 'Science Alive' entertainment centre.  It's now been demolished.

• The TranzAlpine leaves Christchurch at 08:15, and within ten minutes the Addington cement works and freight yards give way to small wooden suburban bungalows.  Minutes later the train is crossing flat open farmland, doing 60mph across the Canterbury plain heading relentlessly towards the snow-capped Southern Alps on the horizon.

• The train passes fields of sheep, cattle, and red deer, passes the small commuter town of Darfield, and the first tentative foothills appear.  At around 9am the train calls at Springfield, where fresh muffins are loaded aboard for the cafe-bar.

• At around 09:20 the TranzAlpine starts its climb into the Southern Alps, with views of the stunning Waimakiriri River gorge to the right.

• As it climbs, the train crosses a series of steel girder bridges over deep gorges and through a series of short tunnels.  The highest viaduct is the famous 'Staircase', 73 metres above the river.  The scenery here is spectacular.

• By about 09.40, the train reaches a grassy plateau dotted with hills.  Hills give way to more mountains, liberally hung with mist.

• At 10:15 the TranzAlpine stops at Arthur's Pass station, surrounded by yet more mist-laden mountains, and there's time to get out, stretch your legs and take photographs.

• Almost immediately after leaving Arthur's Pass the train enters the Otira Tunnel.  At 8.6 kilometres (5.3 miles) long, it's one of the longest tunnels in New Zealand.  It was only completed in 1923, allowing direct train travel from east to west across the South Island.  This section of line was once electrified, but now a door closes behind each train, allowing the train to act as a huge piston, forcing the diesel fumes out.

• Just the other side of the tunnel is Otira itself, where the TranzAlpine makes a very brief call.  Otira was a railway town, running the railway that kept the coal flowing from the west coast coalfields to Christchurch and the rest of New Zealand.

• The train now follows a deep valley containing a broad shallow river.  It crosses that river on a low bridge several times.  Ever more mist-laden mountains flank the valley, a wonderful part of the journey.  Watch out for waterfalls.

• At around 12:00 the TranzAlpine passes the site of the Old Brunner Mine, just across the valley on the other side of the Grey River.  This was the site of New Zealand's worst mining disaster in 1896.  An ancient suspension bridge links the railway side of the river with the mine.

• The train passes Dobson, an old coal-mining town though all the mines are now closed.

• The TranzAlpine reaches Greymouth, a small town even by New Zealand standards, but it's the west coast's main centre.  Even if it was warm and sunny in Christchurch, don't be surprised if you need your umbrella in Greymouth!  Greymouth's wooden station building now houses an extensive gift shop and travel centre.  Buses leave from just outside the station for destinations down the west coast, including Franz Josef Glacier.  If you're returning to Christchurch the same day you have an hour to explore the town or find some food - try the Cafe 124, on the main road just along from the station.  The town clock is on the river bank, originally housed in the tower of the impressive colonial post office.  The post office and its tower were demolished as they were thought to be an earthquake risk, and the clock now stands in its own short wooden tower.  Next to it on the river bank is a sign which warns against eating fish caught next to the nearby sewer outlet.  Welcome to Greymouth!

These photos show the old TranzAlpine train which used rebuilt 1950 coaches until 2012.  You'll now see the same wonderful scenery, from a far nicer more modern train, see the new train photos above!
After leaving Christchurch the train stops briefly at Springfield in the Canterbury Plain.  The Southern Alps lie dead ahead.		The Waimakiriri Gorge, seen from the TranzAlpine as it starts its steep climb into the Southern Alps.

The Tranz-Alpine train ascends into the Southern Alps over a series of girder bridges and tunnels.		The river is now in a gorge way below the railway.

The train reaches a plateau, crossing and re-crossing a board shallow river.		Enjoying a Devonshire cream tea from the cafe-bar.

Fabulous scenery in New Zealand's Southern Alps.

More fabulous views in the Southern Alps.

And more.

Yet more beautiful scenery.		Arthur's Pass, just before the Otira Tunnel

After Otira, the TranzAlpine train snakes its way through the Misty Mountains, which live up to their name.  The open-air viewing car allows you to get up close and personal with the outdoors, great for photography.

The train is still alongside a river, now with thick green bush on either bank.  Near Greymouth the TranzAlpine passes the Brunner Mine, site of New Zealand's worst mining disaster in 1896 (above right).

Journey's end:  The TranzAlpine arrived at Greymouth station on the rainy west coast of NZ's south island.		The town clock at Greymouth.  The sign on the right warns you not to eat fish caught next to the sewer outlet!

Make sure you take a good guidebook.  The Lonely Planets and Rough Guides are easily the best out there for the independent traveller.  Both guides provide an excellent level of practical information and historical and cultural background.  You won't regret buying one of these guides..!

Click to buy online at Amazon.co.uk

Lonely Planet New Zealand    Rough Guide to New Zealand

Backpacker hostels

If you're on a tight budget, don't forget the hostels.  For a dorm bed or an ultra-cheap private room in backpacker hostels in most European cities use www.hostelworld.com.

Travel insurance & VPN

Always take out travel insurance

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

  www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & gets 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

  www.columbusdirect.com is also a well-know brand.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list.  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:  1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from buy from Amazon.com.

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