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Katie Goldie

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Great Train Journey through New Zealand

March 10, 2020
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What better way to travel than by train! It’s a lost art to enjoy the journey rather than just arrive as soon as possible, so that is exactly what Geoff and I did for our trip down to the South Island, we took our sweet time.

Our friends in Greymouth invited us to their beach wedding, which meant some travel to the west coast. Geoff and I have always been very interested in taking the train so we decided this would be the perfect opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and make a journey around our plans. We planned a Trip with Great Journey’s of New Zealand!

We reside in Auckland so we had a series of all four parts of The Great Journeys components to get us to Greymouth. Northern Explorer, Interislander, Coastal Pacific and the Tranz Alpine. We planned our trip with two nights in Wellington, one night in Kaikoura, a night in Christchurch, one in Arthur’s Pass and a final night in Moana (Lake Brunner) before arriving in Greymouth.

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We started with the Northern Explorer from Auckland to Wellington. This day train was an excellent way to see the North Island of New Zealand. We slowly escaped the bustle of Auckland and soon found ourselves riding through the rolling hills of the countryside. What I really loved about the train was the large windows and smooth ride that meant we could see everything and have little wanders around to stretch our legs. One of the carts is a cafe which was great to get that mid morning Coffee and a few snacks for the ride.

We got off the train just before Wellington in Paraparaumu because our friends live on the Kapati Coast. They invited us to stay for our time near Wellington. There are a range of stops throughout the North Island if you fancy a night here or there.

We had a lovely couple of days in Wellington as we headed to the weekly farmers market on the wharf. We also explored Te Papa Museum (a favorite of mine!). We took in sunset on top Mt. Victoria. We didn’t get around to it this time but I would have loved to visit Zealandia, a bird sanctuary in the city. Wellington is an alive and wonderful place with so much to do.

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Our Next day brought us to the second part of the journey, the Interislander across the Cook Straight. We hoped onto the ferry bright and early and quite effortlessly with a shuttle taking us from the train terminals to the docks a few minutes away.

It was an amazing day for a sail across the two Islands of New Zealand. We enjoyed the smell of the sea as well quickly approached the South Island. We had a yummy little breakfast aboard. The best is coming into the Marlborough Sounds. We got into Picton just in time for some lunch and a wander around the quaint little town. Our Third part to the Journey was ahead of us.

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Trip number three is the Coastal Pacific down to Christchurch, however we decided to hop off in Kaikoura for the night. This ride is such an underrated trip! It was stunning through the hills and then gradually onto the mountains with the ocean on our left side. Everywhere you look there is something to see. We spent most of our time in the open carriage watching the birds on the ocean and spotting seals laying on the rocks. We got into Kaikoura in time for some dinner and set up camp in a local Holiday Park.

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We explored the small town for most of the next day, visiting the seal colony and enjoying a nap on the beach. If you have never been to Kaikoura the place will astound you. It has coastal mountains dropping into a lively blue sea. The wildlife is extremely abundant. I recommend booking either a whale and bird watching tour or a swimming with dolphins tour! If you are in for something low key maybe a kayak trip to the seal colony or rent a couple bikes and ride there, getting lunch on the way.

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We decided to only stay one night instead of two in Christchurch. We rather do an extra night in the West Coast instead, it makes for a quick turn around in Christchurch. We got to the city late evening and then had the train to Arthur’s Pass in the morning, staying at an Air BnB close by. I recommend that you get a few snacks and groceries while in the city if you are staying in the Pass or at Lake Brunner. These places are very small with limited choices, however there is food available everywhere (and in any instance you can grab something on the train!).

The last part to our Journey was the ever popular Tranz Alpine. From Christchurch you start on the open flats until slowly you head into the mountains. Vivid blue rivers flood the eyes as you cross over many viaducts. This ride has so many parts and such different landscapes. The ride went by so quickly as we were so captivated in the scenes.

When we arrived in Arthur’s Pass we went to find a place to camp. Once we shed some bags we headed up to the Devil’s Punchbowl walk. There is so much beauty and bird life in this National Park. Geoff and I had a lovely time taking in the sights and enjoying the beautiful mountain area. We had a small Tomtit become friends with us too!

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Our last stop before Greymouth was in Moana. This small little village of Batches is a little gem on the West Coast. The lake Brunner is the largest on the West Coast and is a picturesque scene of beauty. We arrived and stayed at a BnB for the night. Funny enough some friends were driving through and we met up with them at the local cafe for a catch up. This is a really peaceful place to stay, and the whole evening we sat on the porch of the cafe watching the sheets of rain in the valley’s afar.

We jumped back on the Tranz Alpine for our last part of the trip to Greymouth. This was another stunning ride through some nicely regenerating Podocarp forest. Lovely stands of Kahikatea and Rimu trees dressed the edges of swamp and bog lowlands. We ended our train trip here in Greymouth.

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The Great Journey’s of New Zealand was exactly what we were after, to not only see another part of the country but to minimize our carbon footprint. We managed to make a really amazing holiday from our travels! I would recommend this to anyone traveling in New Zealand, even if you are not going anywhere specific. Geoff and I are keeping this in our future plans to do again for sure!

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