TranzAlpine travel guide: New Zealand's most scenic rail journey

Named one of the top 10 train journeys in the world, the TranzAlpine route takes you through the ‘Great Divide’, the spine of mountains that splits the country’s South Island, with a series of spectacular gorges and river valleys along the way, plus the Otira Tunnel, which stretches for more than five miles.

So if you’re planning a journey on the TranzAlpine train in New Zealand, here’s everything you need to know before you board in our TranzAlpine travel guide.

The TranzAlpine route stretches for 139 miles between Christchurch on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island and Greymouth on the west coast, stopping at Rolleston, Darfield, Springfield (for Kaikoura), Arthur’s Pass and Moana along its way.

The TranzAlpine route map actually covers two different railway lines, following the South Island Main Trunk line from Christchurch over the Canterbury Plains before changing onto the Midland Line at Rolleston. This line follows an ancient Māori trail through the Southern Alps, and is the most spectacular part of the journey, with the biggest engineering challenges and impressive solutions, such as the 73m high Staircase Viaduct and the 8km long Otira tunnel.

If you’re travelling from east to west, the train stops for around one hour in Greymouth before returning to Christchurch, or many people disembark here to travel on to the Franz Josef glacier. You can also disembark en route to hike around Arthur’s Pass or at other stops along the way.

Mount White Bridge

The sleek TranzAlpine trains run throughout the year, although reduced to four days a week during some periods. There’s no single best time to go on the TranzAlpine train in New Zealand, with great views through the huge panoramic windows every month. If you’re travelling in late winter, you can enjoy snowy peaks as you travel through the Southern Alps but with less chance of any weather-related delays than midwinter.

You can also enjoy the the Alpine meadows around Arthur’s Pass at their best during summer, while there’s never a bad time to revel in the dramatic coastline on the stretch around Greymouth.

So whenever you decide to travel, here are some of the key sights along the Greymouth-Christchurch TranzAlpine train route and highlights to look out for.

The largest city in the South Island, Christchurch is also one of the greenest. Set between the South Pacific Ocean and the Southern Alps, you can head into the hills by cable car to soak up some of the views, venture to the edges of a volcano, or discover the city’s architecture by historic tram. Known for its art, from street art to galleries, it’s also a great destination for those who love their food, whether that’s browsing markets or world-class dining.

Almost as soon as you leave Christchurch, the Canterbury plains open up in front of you, stretching for around 125 miles from north to south, and over 40 miles across. This patchwork of fields and farmland is one of New Zealand’s main agricultural regions, and looking out across the flat plains you’ll see the Torlesse mountain range looming on the horizon. The small town of Springfield is the last stop before venturing into the Southern Alps, and for years this marked the end of the line.

Around an hour after leaving Christchurch, as the TranzAlpine begins to climb into the mountains, the route follows the Waimakariri River Gorge. The sparkling turquoise river curves at the base of the gorge, with the train tracks clinging to the cliffs above as the TranzAlpine follows the channel which the water has carved out of the mountains. Using the existing gorges was the simplest option to enable the line to cut through the peaks, but the challenging landscape needed 15 short tunnels and four dramatic viaducts for the train to be able to make the ascent.

The most eye-catching of the viaducts along the TranzAlpine train route in New Zealand is Staircase Viaduct which towers 73m above the Otarama Stream and Staircase Gully below. It’s one of a series of steel girder bridges connected by short tunnels which allow the train to climb through the mountains, and there’s some of the most dramatic landscapes of the entire route to be seen here.

Although this whole stretch of the journey has some spectacular scenery, it’s worth wrapping up and heading to the open-air viewing carriage as you approach Cass with views opening out to Mount Binser high above the Waimakariri River. Look out too for Lake Sarah just before Cass (if you’re coming from Christchurch), with Mount Horrible and the mountains of Arthur’s Pass National Park on the skyline – travelling back east, you’ll get a great view of Mount Binser over the lake instead.

Waimakariri River Bridge

As you reach the highest point of the TranzAlpine route, the train route runs along the Waimakariri River once again, wider here than the narrow stretch in the gorge. As the train crosses the Waimakariri River Bridge, you’ll find unforgettable views down along the water among the mountains.

The TranzAlpine reaches its highest altitude at 920m as it travels through Arthur’s Pass. There’s a brief stop at Arthur’s Pass station with a chance to step off the train and take photos of the surrounding mountains; this is the highest pass crossing the Southern Alps. The way through the pass was originally an ancient Māori route before surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson travelled through in 1864.

Known as the Great Divide, the Otira Tunnel marks the point where you cross from Canterbury to the West Coast, travelling for 8.6km under the mountains – it takes around 15 minutes to journey from one end to the other. One of the longest tunnels in New Zealand, it was completed in 1923, finally allowing direct trains to travel between east and west. The mountains themselves often mark a divide in the weather too, which is usually wetter on the west side, with lusher, green scenery as a result.

As you begin to descend from the mountain peaks, the train follows a series of river valleys down towards Greymouth, and surrounded by swampland and ancient forest, you’ll find Lake Brunner. The largest lake on the west coast, the pretty town of Moana sits on its banks and makes a great base to explore the glorious scenery.

Greymouth isn’t a big town but it’s the main one on the west coast of the South Island, and marks the end of the TranzAlpine’s journey. A starting point for journeys to the Franz Josef Glacier and other locations along the west coast, including Queenstown, it’s also the beginning of the West Coast Wilderness trail bike route. Surrounded by wild unspoiled beaches and the peaceful Grey Valley, it’s a great place to get outdoors, or you can learn about Gold Rush history at Shantytown, modelled on a real life mining town of 1860.

There’s one main class of carriage aboard the TranzAlpine trains, known as Scenic Class, with panoramic windows and skylights in the roof, so you can soak up every last moment of the views.

There are four seats set around a table on each side of the aisle, including spaces for wheelchairs at the end of the Scenic Cafe carriage. The train has heating and air conditioning, toilets in each carriage and disabled toilet facilities.

If you upgrade to TranzAlpine Scenic Plus, the reclining seats have extra legroom, and there’s also hot and cold food made to order, accompanied by New Zealand wines. Otherwise, the Scenic Café at the centre of the train sells hot drinks, soft drinks and alcohol, along with snacks, sandwiches and light meals. You can pre-purchase these, or buy on board and the café opens shortly before departure (it closes briefly as you go through the Otira Tunnel).

Seats are allocated automatically, but the best views along the TranzAlpine route are on the right-hand side going to Greymouth, or the left-hand side on the return journey to Christchurch. There’s also WiFi available, up to 5GB free for guests in Scenic Class (with the option to purchase more), as well as unlimited free WiFi in Scenic Plus Class. Connectivity may vary along the route, especially as you travel through tunnels.

Download the TranzAlpine app to your own device before you board for GPS-triggered audio commentary as you travel, with stories about the route as you pass by, plus details of facilities on board – you’ll also need your own headphones to listen. The train has information displays too.

You can also head out into the Open-air Viewing Carriage, a large open platform at the end of the train which lets you soak up the scenery without even a panoramic window in the way. Scenic Plus class passengers also have their own exclusive open-air carriage. It’s worth remembering that temperatures will drop significantly as you head higher into the mountains, so do wrap up warm if you’re heading outside to see some of the best views. You can’t access the open-air sections inside the Otira Tunnel

Luggage is all stored in a separate Luggage Carriage, so it’s important to pack a small bag with everything you’ll need for the journey. No wheeled cabin bags, large bags, backpacks and suitcases are allowed into the main carriages as there’s no storage space.

Each TranzAlpine train has a Scenic Café in the middle of the train, which opens shortly before the train departs and stays open throughout the day. Along with as a fully licensed bar, there are also snacks and meals available to purchase, using locally sourced ingredients and recipes.

You can enjoy New Zealand wines and local beer Monteiths, made at the brewery in Greymouth on the west coast. Food choices range from pastries and all-day breakfast options, including pancakes, to sandwiches, beef cheeks and lamb shank, as well as vegetarian, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes.

While you can pre-order meals, you can also buy on the day. Credit and debit card payments are accepted on board, but it’s a good idea to have cash available, as there may be limited signal for the card machines at certain parts of the journey.

Alternatively, if you upgrade to TranzAlpine Scenic Plus class, you can enjoy a freshly-cooked meal served at your seat, prepared by a chef in the adjacent kitchen car with wine included. The menu also uses regional ingredients and delicacies to give a taste of the country you’re passing through.

There’s WiFi available on board the TranzAlpine, with 5GB free for Scenic Class passengers (and an option to pay for more data), or unlimited free WiFi for Scenic Plus passengers – connectivity may be limited at times.

There’s also a Scenic Café carriage selling drinks and food during the journey for Scenic Class passengers (Scenic Plus includes a meal as part of the upgrade). Each carriage has a toilet, as well as air-conditioning and heating, with an accessible toilet on board too.

The TranzAlpine app includes a guide to share information about the highlights of your journey, which you can access via your phone or tablet using headphones.

Length: 223km

Bridges: 10 – 5 bridges and 5 viaducts

Tunnels: 16

Highest point: 920m

Average speed: Around 100kph

Passengers per year: Up to 200,000

Experience the TranzAlpine route's stunning scenery for yourself on one of our escorted tours of New Zealand