Tranz Alpine Express
Christchurch - Greymouth
The Tranz Alpine Express runs between
Christchurch and Greymouth. The journey is 223 kilometers (139 miles)
and takes four and a half hours. There are 16 tunnels, and 5 viaducts,
the highest being the Staircase standing at 73 meters.
New Zealand has a limited railway network, passenger trains run between Auckland and Wellington (The Overlander), Picton and Christchurch (The Transcoastal) as well as between Christchurch and Greymouth (The Tranz Alpine) Apart from these, only a few shorter tracks exist for passenger trains.
Most people take the Tranz Alpine Express from Christchurch in the morning and return with the same train from Greymouth, coming back to Christchurch in the evening. Normally, the train stops one hour in Greymouth. Due to the limited train network most tourists either rent a car or travel by bus to travel around New Zealand.
Christchurch is the largest town on the southern island, but with a population around 350,000 it is a fairly small town. This still makes it slightly larger than the Wellington area, and makes it the second largest urban region of New Zealand.
The Tranz Alpine Express departs from Christchurch in the morning, there is only one train a day. The track goes north-west to Greymouth. The train has, most days, an open observation platform. First crossing the Canterbury Plains before climbing up to Arthur Pass. Although a lot of different birds and animals may be seen, you will mostly see sheep.
The climb up to Arthur Pass is interesting but far from spectacular. If you want to see a lot of snow, you need to travel during winter time, that is June to August. The train station at Arthur's Pass is 737 meters above sea level, compared with many train stations in the Alps this is not really high altitude. You can jump off here, Arthur Pass National Park is a nice place and has many popular walks. But you can find even better places on the southern island.
The journey down to Greymouth is interesting. But best done in spring or early summer. The rivers and water falls dry up in summer. On the other hand, the vegetation is nicer in summer. You also have some nice viaducts. But if you have travelled around the southern island before you have most likely seen even better views.
The train stops for an hour in Greymouth before returning to Christchurch. Greymouth is a small town, population about 10,000, and for most people one hour is more than enough to explore Greymouth. The west coast has some splendid scenery but Greymouth is not really an interesting place. But if you have the time and money, rent a car and drive from the Pancakes down to the Fox and St Josef Glaciers. One of the most spectacular coastal roads on the planet. Main drawback, plenty of rain on the west coast. And if you have enough time and money, continue across the mountains to Queenstown and Te Anau, and don't forget Mount Cook National Park.
Meet the locals
Taking the same train back gives you the change to see the track from the other side. Generally, you keep the same seat on the way back to Christchurch. So if you thought you were sitting on the wrong side, you get the chance to see the other side as well.
On the whole, the Trans Alpine Express is a nice but far from spectacular train journey. It can't compete with the famous train journeys in the Swiss Alps. But it is a nice day tour, you can sit and relax while enjoying the scenery. But personally, I would avoid travelling during autumn, not much water or snow. Springtime is much better.
While the views from the Tranz Alpine Express are interesting, the southern island has much better scenery. My personal favorites are the west coast road (from the Pancakes down to the Glaciers), Mount Cook National Park and Te Anua (with Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound) But there are much more. So while the Tranz Alpine Express is a nice day tour, there are much more interesting stuff on the southern island.
Note, if you are planning a holiday, travelling northwards will make it much easier and often cheaper to rent a car. Most tourists start in Auckland and work their way down south. By going in the opposite direction, the car rental companies will love you. Also, if you rent a car, you are not allowed to take it on the ferry between the northern and southern islands. You return the car at the ferry and get a new car once you disembark the ferry. Note, this means that you will have to carry your luggage onboard.