Explore New Zealand by Train with Great Journeys: Coastal Pacific

Last updated on 20 January 2024

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Welcome to Aotearoa, where our public transport is dismal but our tourist trains are brilliant. Clearly, I shouldn’t be a spokesperson for our public transport (I could rant all day … and have). But what I can rave about is our long-distance train tips like the Coastal Pacific. If you’re looking to explore New Zealand by train, then this is a stunning trip to do while you’re visiting Aotearoa in 2024.

Great Journeys New Zealand: Aotearoa by Train

New Zealand is a stunning country, and while I am always dreaming of far-off lands across the sea (I sound like I’m a main character in a fantasy novel, I know), I love exploring this beautiful whenua (land) I call home.

There are many ways to get around New Zealand to see the sites: flight from place to place, rent a car or a campervan, jump on a cruise ship or a local ferry to explore the outlying islands (of which there are many – such as Waiheke, just 40mins boat ride from Auckland), or book yourself a Great Journeys New Zealand trip and see the country by train.

When I was about 15 years old, my school did a camp in Tongariro National Park. From memory, although my memory is slim on this one, we took the train – The Northern Explorer – to get to National Park. And while it was just a short trip for us (a few hours), I have memories of seeing parts of the country I never had before, all because the train line went where cars cannot.

Fast forward to 2023, and my sister and I decided that, to get to Christchurch for Christmas that year, we wouldn’t just fly the one-hour flight to get there, but rather we’d take the ferry from Wellington to Picton, and then jump on the Coastal Pacific train from Picton to Churchurch. Just for something fun.

And it was fun.

The Coastal Pacific train trip in the South Island

The Coastal Pacific train trip from Picton to Christchurch (and vice versa) is about a 6-hour trip down the east coast of Te Waipounamu, the South Island of New Zealand. A stunning combination of mountain ranges, the Pacific Ocean, farmland and wide open Canterbury plains, the Coastal Pacific train trip has you seeing parts of the East Coast that you wouldn’t usually if you were travelling by road.

I have been driving that road ever since I was a kid (well, not me driving – you know what I mean), so I like to think I know the route really well. Turns out I don’t know the inner route very well at all, and as we travelled down the length of the coast, popping out to the sea-side tracks and then back into the island more, away from the water, I found myself marvelling at the different landscapes and places that I hadn’t seen before.

The plus side to knowing the road trip well is that we knew when would be a good time to pop out into the open carriage to catch a glimpse of the seals sunbathing along the rocks of Kaikoura.

Speaking of Kaikoura, the Coastal Pacific Great Journeys train ride (if you’re coming from the north and headed towards Christchurch), goes through Blenheim, Kaikoura, all the way down the coast, through Rangiora and has you disembarking in Christchurch. While you can get off at various points along the way, my sister and I were determined to do the entire route.

The Coastal Pacific Route’s history

The train line that the Coastal Pacific runs on is called the Main North Railway, which began in the 1870s and was used for easy transport between Christchurch and rural farms around the plains.

Given that the train lines run through the length of the flat Canterbury Plains, it makes for easy train travel. The line pushes out towards the ocean, seemingly mere meters from the water’s edge, up the northern end of the track, mostly due to the Kaikoura range and the inability to get the train lines through the mountains. But this absolutely works in our favour as travellers as the coast is probably the most scenic and picturesque part of the Coastal Pacific route. Definitely have your camera or phone at the ready!

Just be sure to time your photos with the tunnels. Of which there are 22, I believe, and 175 bridges that the train passes under. My sister and I were counting tunnels, but definitely couldn’t keep track of the bridges. Some of the tunnels are short and sweet, and some pass under longer sections of hills, so are a lot longer.

If you happen to be out in the open-air carriage when you go through a tunnel, it’s just as dark as you can image, and blinding when you pop out the other side.

💡 Note: If you are prone to hayfever at all and are travelling New Zealand by train, especially this one, in the warmer months, then we were cautioned by the train staff that if we ventured out into the open-air carriage, our hay fever might spike up. We obviously went on the open-air carriage for a while and my sister’s hay fever flared up really badly for several hours afterwards. Just a warning!

Points of interest on the Coastal Pacific

Exploring New Zealand by train means that you see spots that you otherwise might not have seen, were you to be travelling by road (and definitely not by plane!). There are lots of cool spots that you’ll discover when you’re on board the Coastal Pacific, and lots of variety, too. We found ourselves wondering what parts of the country we were looking at, and ‘what sort of agriculture is that’ at points, and of course, ‘another bridge!’.

A few points of interest on the Coastal Pacific train route

Southern Alps: If you’re travelling south, be sure to look out the right-hand side of the train to catch the Southern Alps, New Zealand’s longest mountain range. It’s about 500 km (310 miles) long, and runs down the centre (basically) of the South Island. From the train, you’ll see snippets of the Alps, if you’ve got a good day.
Lake Grassmere: When we saw this pink something we didn’t really know what it was. But Lake Grassmere is a semi-natural salt lake which, in the warmer months, turns pink. Science or something. The train goes right through the middle of this salt lake, which makes for curious viewing but also some interesting photos!
Marlborough Region: Known for its wine, the train passes by rows and rows of grape vines in the Marlborough region around Blenheim. If you’re a wine fan, you might see some names you recognise, such as Wither Hills and Cloudy Bay.
Kaikoura: Famous for its seals and also whale watching, Kaikoura is a popular spot to visit. The train runs by the township and along the coast, and while there have been significant changes in past years, due to a severe earthquake in 2016, the track is back to how it was prior to the earthquakes. And better perhaps!
Ohau Point Seal Colony: Speaking of seals, there’s a seal colony at Ohau Point which is home to hundreds of seals. When the earthquake hit in 2016, the breeding ground just on the other side of the train tracks was wiped out, and many seals and their pups died. Now, years later, the fear that the colony had been lost is no longer there, and it seems like there are even more seals than there used to be.
Mangamaunu Bay: You know those pictures of people on a train but you can see the back end of the train (or the front) bending around a corner behind them? This is the spot you need for that photo. Mangamaunu Bay curves into the land, and from the track, you can see the Kaikoura Ranges, people swimming and surfing in the bay, and of course, you get that cool ‘look back at the train’ view from the open carriage.

The Great Journeys Train itself

The train consisted of several carriages – one with tables and four seats on either side of the aisle, and another that had two forward-facing seats in rows, as you would expect on a bus or commuter train. There is also an open-air carriage where you can get some great photos and get a bit of air. And there is a food and drinks carriage, which offers a small range of food, non-alcoholic drinks and things like wine and beer, too.

We were aware that the seating plan is usually made the day before, or thereabouts, and that as a group of two, we would most likely be sat in the carriage that had the two forward-facing seats. But to our surprise we were seated around a table with another group, obviously filling up a spot that was needed. It was really handy have a table to pop food and drink on, as well as our books and other small items like headphones, but I think it would have been better if we were in the other style of seats, just as we were sitting across from strangers and that’s always a touch awkward.

The seats were comfortable though, and the train was kept at a cool temperature throughout the ride. Which was ideal in the summertime.

New Zealand history commentary

As you venture along the tracks, you can plug in complimentary headphones or your own, into a jack port between the seats and listen to a commentary of the the various points of interest along the way. While we didn’t really make use of this, the strangers we were sitting with were visiting from South Africa and seemed to really enjoy the commentary.

It reminded me of the commentary that runs when you’re on a Hop-on Hop-off bus, and I really loved those when I’ve been on those in the past. They make the scenery and the landmarks a little more interesting with the history and story being told to you.

More details you should be aware of

The coast of the Coastal Pacific scenic train trip (as of late 2023) is $177 NZD for the whole Picton to Christchurch route. If you’re disembarking at a different spot along the way, it’s cheaper.
There is also a Scenic Plus Dining Experience option as well, which includes things like food and drink, priority boarding, and personal service. You can read more about the Sceneic Plus option here.
The Coastal Pacific train departs from Picton and Christchurch daily from the months of December through to April. From April through to November, the train runs on a four-weekly schedule, from Thrusday to Sunday.
You need to book in advance and remember to factor in other transport such as flights or ferries from Wellington. We allowed an overnight stop in Picton, just in case the ferry was delayed or cancelled.
If you’re leaving from Christchurch, there is a parking lot where you can leave your car.
Check-in is 20 minutes before departure.

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Overall experience

The Coastal Pacific train trip with Great Journeys was a brilliant day-long experience. Seeing New Zealand by train in this new way was a lot of fun, even though I was so familiar with that route.

There are two other Great Journeys scenic trips you can do: The Northern Explorer which runs from Wellington to Auckland, and then the TransAlpine, which runs from Christchurch northwest to Greymouth on the west coast of the South Island, through the Southern Alps. This is the one that I would love to do sometime, as I don’t know the West Coast very well at all, in comparison to the rest of the country.

I probably wouldn’t do the Coastal Pacific train trip again, but it was a wonderful experience and I’d love to do the others.

What about you? Have you explored New Zealand’s train routes? Is it something you’d like to do in 2024?

This post was not sponsored by Great Journeys New Zealand; just simply my experience on a great train trip through New Zealand.