A Great Way to See the Magical Country!
Traveling by train might be the best way to travel between New Zealand’s three main cities, Auckland, Wellington and with a little help from the Interislander ferry, Christchurch. Trains are also the way to reach the North Island’s Tongariro National Park, the South Island’s west coast at Greymouth, the whale-watching and dolphin-swimming centre at Kaikoura or the Marlborough vineyards at Blenheim.
Unlike domestic flights, the trains take you at ground level past superb scenery that can’t be seen by road, in comfort that cramped long-distance buses cannot offer. So instead of risking standby or buying tickets on short-haul flights within New Zealand, go by train actually see New Zealand!
New Zealand’s long-distance trains are operated by Kiwi Rail’s ‘Scenic Journeys’ passenger division, as part of KiwiRail as of 2008.
Interisland Ferry
Part of the rail transportation system in New Zealand includes the Wellington to Picton interisland ferry. This is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in the world, and by far the best way to travel between New Zealand’s North and South Islands. There are as many as 5 daily sailings across the Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton. The crossing time is around 3 hours. The 8:25am sailing from Wellington and 1:15pm sailing from Picton both will connect with the Coastal Pacific train to/from Christchurch. The Cook Strait has a reputation for rough seas, but only a third of the crossing is actually out in the Strait, and by sailing on the large, modern and stabilized ship Kaitaki the motion is minimized. Cost for adults ranges from NZ$65 to NZ$75. Kids age 2 to 17 range from NZ$33 to NZ$38. Infants under 2 are free. Seniors rates for those 60 and over range from NZ$60 to NZ$70. Now if you have a car or motorbike then the prices are higher and will depend on what kind of a vehicle you have. The larger the vehicle the higher the price. You must check in to the Wellington Interislander ferry terminal at least 30 minutes before departure.
You can check rates, availability and even buy your tickets online, at http://bit.ly/TIDZqS
Tip – For an extra NZ$45 paid on board, you can access the Kaitaki Plus lounge with quiet seating, free WiFi, power sockets, complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and a free light hot meal. This however is for adults only, 18 and older. On the down side, the views from the lounge are slightly obstructed, and you may spend much of the crossing on deck, gazing at the scenery!
Another ferry company also operates several daily ferries between Wellington and Picton, www.bluebridge.co.nz, but these ferries don’t connect with the train to Christchurch.
Heading north from Christchurch to Wellington, a free Kiwi Rail Scenic Journeys shuttle (shuttle = shared minibus taxi) operates to a set timetable from most hotels and guesthouses in central Christchurch out to the railway station to meet the Coastal Pacific departure for Picton and Wellington. There’s no need to book, just ask your guesthouse, or call and ask Kiwi Rail what time the shuttle leaves which hotel. It will normally depart between 5:55am and 6:40am to connect with the Coastal Pacific’s departure for Picton & Wellington. Heading south from Wellington to Christchurch, there is no free shuttle meeting train arrivals in Christchurch, but a fleet of normal shuttles to the city centre will be waiting for the train and cost about NZ$6 per person.
Coastal Pacific Train from Picton to Christchurch
The Interislander ferry and connecting Coastal Pacific train are easily the most comfortable and scenic way to travel from Wellington to Christchurch. It’s also very cheap, with inclusive train+ferry fares from just NZ$139. Named TranzCoastal until 2011, the train regained its original name Coastal Pacific when it resumed running on 15 August 2011.
IMPORTANT: Wellington & Christchurch to be cut off from each other in winter of 2014: New Zealand appears to be closing for business in winter, as the Coastal Pacific will it run from May to October 2014, leaving no rail transport link between Wellington and Christchurch in a supposedly developed country, just planes and a bus.
The Coastal Pacific train has comfortable seats. In the new ‘AK’ carriages, half of each car consists of bays of four around tables, lining up nicely with the wide panoramic windows. the other half are unidirectional seats, rotated by staff at the start of each journey to face the direction of travel. Most line up with the windows. All seats in the new ‘AK’ cars have power sockets for mobiles, laptops or cameras (New Zealand voltage and plug, of course). There is also a full-length open air viewing platform, ideal for photographers or just watching the scenery. It’s usually at the north (Picton) end of the train.
The Coastal Pacific has a cafe bar serving snacks, drinks, tea, coffee, wine, beer, spirits and light microwaveable meals, at reasonable prices. Try the breakfast roll in the morning (NZ$7.50) and the Devonshire cream tea in the afternoon (NZ$6).
How to buy tickets for the Coastal Pacific Train
You can buy tickets online at www.kiwirailscenic.co.nz with self-print ticketing, HOWEVER, Kiwi Rail have set up their website to detect your computer’s IP address and suppress the cheaper Super-Saver and Smart-Saver fares if your computer is located outside New Zealand. In other words, from a PC outside of New Zealand all you see is $189, from an New Zealand-based computer you’ll see the complete and correct fare range, $139, $159 and $189 (assuming the cheaper fares are available, of course). To buy a cheaper Super-Saver or Smart-Saver fare, you do one of the following:
1) Make an international phone call to Kiwi Rail Scenic Journeys telesales at + 64 4 495 0775, as all fares are available by phone, potentially saving money even allowing for the cost the call
or
2) You can wait till you reach New Zealand, and book online in an internet cafe using an New Zealand-based computer, when all of the fares will show up.
Other popular train routes include:
Christchurch – Greymouth – The TranzAlpine
The Tranz-Alpine is the most scenic train journey in New Zealand, and one of the most scenic train trips in the world. Not surprisingly, it’s become the most successful of all the Kiwi Rail Scenic Journeys passenger train services, very popular with tour groups because of the spectacular crossing of the Southern Alps between Christchurch and the South Island’s west coast at Greymouth. It’s a fantastic trip, but not as historic as the Auckland-Wellington ‘Overlander’. This is going to run you NZ$119 to NZ$199. Children aged 2-14 travel at reduced fare, Infants under 2 travel free.
Dunedin – Queenstown by train and bus
The most fascinating way to travel between Dunedin and Queenstown is via the Taieri Gorge Railway’s Track & Trail train/bus link. The Taieri Gorge Railway (www.taieri.co.nz) is a preserved railway running daily year-round tourist trains through spectacular scenery over part of the old Dunedin-Cromwell branch railway. Leaving from the beautiful and much-photographed 1906 railway station in Dunedin’s town centre, it travels a few kilometers south over the South Island Main Trunk Line (still well-used for freight but sadly with no passenger service) before branching off inland through the scenic gorge that gives the line its name. The train terminates at Pukerangi, 58 km from Dunedin (extended to Middlemarch on summer Fridays & Sundays, 76 km from Dunedin) and a minibus connection takes pre-booked passengers from Pukerangi to Queenstown. The Taieri Gorge Railway now also operates a tourist train called the Seasider along the main line between Dunedin and Palmerston. This will run you NZ$115 adult, NZ$58 child, 2 to 17. Kids under 2 are free.
New Zealand Scenic Railpass
There is an excellent New Zealand Scenic Railpass giving unlimited travel on all Kiwi Rail Scenic trains including the TranzAlpine, and (if you buy the ferry-inclusive version), the Interislander Ferry between Wellington and Picton. If you’re going to travel on all 3 trains from Auckland to Wellington, across on the ferry, down to Christchurch and on to Greymouth, the 7-day pass is cheaper than buying normal tickets. Note that you still need to make free seat reservations, you cannot just hop on any train without a reservation.
HOWEVER, the New Zealand Scenic Journey Railpass is ONLY VALID during the summer months. In 2015 those will roughly be Sept. 27, 2014 and ending around May 4, 2015.
For more information, see www.kiwirailscenic.co.nz. Once you have a railpass, it’s easy to make seat reservations to go with it simply by calling Kiwi Rail Scenic Journeys on 0800 TRAINS (0800 872 467) when you’re in New Zealand, or in advance from outside New Zealand by calling 00 64 4 495 0775.
There are two types of Scenic Journey Rail passes sold. Fixed Passes and Freedom Passes.
Fixed Passes commence from the start date when purchasing and you book your trips by phone at 0800-250-000 or online. To insure you have a seat book at least 24 hours prior to your trip. You can cancel up to 24 hours prior of your first travel without any cancellation fee.
• 7 Day railpass will run you NZ$599 for adults and NZ$419 for kids.
• 14 Day railpass will run you NZ$699 for adults and NZ$489 for kids.
• 14 Day railpass will run you NZ$799 for adults and NZ$559 for kids.
Or you can get what is called a Freedom Pass. A Freedom pass allows you to choose a certain number of days or train or InterIslander ferry travel (minimum of 3 days) and then use them as you wish for up to 12 months from your date of purchase. The prices for a Freedom Pass range from NZ$417 for 3 days of train travel to NZ$1,161 for 9 days of travel.
If you plan to make multiple trips to New Zealand within 12 months the Freedom Pass might be the best option and get the max number of days of train travel for the least overall cost.