Tranz Alpine Express - The Easy Way to Enjoy New Zealand
The Tranz Alpine Express is a famous railway line between Christchurch and Greymouth on the southern island of New Zealand.
The journey is 223 kilometers (139 miles) and takes four and a half hours.
New Zealand has a limited railway network, three main passenger lines exist, The Overlander between Auckland and Wellington, The Transcoastal between Picton and Christchurch and The Tranz Alpine between Christchurch and Greymouth.
Apart from these three, only a few shorter tracks exist for passenger trains.
With a population around 350,000 Christchurch is the largest town on the southern island.
The Tranz Alpine leaves Christchurch in the morning, arrives in Greymouth four and half hours later.
After an hour the train returns to Christchurch, arriving in Christchurch just after six o'clock.
This is the only train, so you just select your travel day, there are no other departures.
Most people just take a short stroll in Greymouth and take the train back to Christchurch, making it a day excursion.
For most people, one hour in Greymouth is more than enough.
The west coast is one of the most beautiful places on earth but Greymouth itself has not much to offer.
The most interesting place to break your journey is Arthur's Pass.
The Arthur's Pass National Park has a lot of impressive scenery and many interesting hiking paths.
The Tranz Alpine Express offers nice views but the southern island has much better scenery elsewhere.
Also, the train journey is best done in winter or early spring, that is between June to September.
In autumn, the snow has disappeared and there is not much water in the rivers or the water falls.
Compared with the best railway tracks in the Swiss Alps, for example the Bernina Express, the Tranz Alpine Express falls way short.
All in all, the Tranz Alpine Express is a comfortable way of seeing a little bit of New Zealand.
The scenery is not bad but if you rent a car you will quickly find much better scenery, for example the west coast or Mount Cook National Park.
Personally, I would say the Tranz Alpine Express is a train journey you do once, preferably in winter.
The journey is 223 kilometers (139 miles) and takes four and a half hours.
New Zealand has a limited railway network, three main passenger lines exist, The Overlander between Auckland and Wellington, The Transcoastal between Picton and Christchurch and The Tranz Alpine between Christchurch and Greymouth.
Apart from these three, only a few shorter tracks exist for passenger trains.
With a population around 350,000 Christchurch is the largest town on the southern island.
The Tranz Alpine leaves Christchurch in the morning, arrives in Greymouth four and half hours later.
After an hour the train returns to Christchurch, arriving in Christchurch just after six o'clock.
This is the only train, so you just select your travel day, there are no other departures.
Most people just take a short stroll in Greymouth and take the train back to Christchurch, making it a day excursion.
For most people, one hour in Greymouth is more than enough.
The west coast is one of the most beautiful places on earth but Greymouth itself has not much to offer.
The most interesting place to break your journey is Arthur's Pass.
The Arthur's Pass National Park has a lot of impressive scenery and many interesting hiking paths.
The Tranz Alpine Express offers nice views but the southern island has much better scenery elsewhere.
Also, the train journey is best done in winter or early spring, that is between June to September.
In autumn, the snow has disappeared and there is not much water in the rivers or the water falls.
Compared with the best railway tracks in the Swiss Alps, for example the Bernina Express, the Tranz Alpine Express falls way short.
All in all, the Tranz Alpine Express is a comfortable way of seeing a little bit of New Zealand.
The scenery is not bad but if you rent a car you will quickly find much better scenery, for example the west coast or Mount Cook National Park.
Personally, I would say the Tranz Alpine Express is a train journey you do once, preferably in winter.
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