Excursions in Christchurch
Excursions perfectly enhance your holiday and offer excellent value. Prices are per person.
TranzAlpine Train
Step aboard the TranzAlpine and experience the South island’s striking natural landscape on a journey between Christchurch and Greymouth. Along the way you’ll see epic vistas, travel the edges of the ice-fed Waimakariri River, traverse the Southern Alps and see miles of native beech forest.Your comfortable reclining seat has panoramic views through large windows which bathe the carriage in light. On board also is a licensed cafe and fantastic open-air carriage. Journey also available in reverse. The one way journey takes just under 5 hours, while the full day trip includes an hour in Greymouth before you rebound the train back to Christchurch. Available daily from Christchurch.
FROM £145 (one way) or 249 (return day trip)
Discover Christchurch
Board a coach for a fun and informative 3 hour tour of Christchurch, which covers the central city highlights including the botanical gardens, Museum and Art Centre, the Avon River and the city’s transitional cardboard cathedral as well. Continue to Mona Vale, a historic homestead and gardens, soak up the views across the Canterbury Plains through the Southern Alps, then over the Port Hills to Lyttleton and the seaside suburb of Sumner. Available daily from Christchurch (excluding 25 Dec).
FROM £42
Coastal Pacific Train
With the Pacific Ocean lapping at its wheels on one side and the Kaikoura ranges rising majestically on the other, the Coastal Pacific is undoubtedly one of the most astonishingly beautiful journeys in New Zealand. Your comfortable reclining seat has ample leg room and the carriage has panoramic windows for soaking up the views. Otherwise, head to the open-air carriage to step outside and feel the ocean breeze brush your skin, or sit back with a refreshing drink in the licensed cafe. All journeys are available in reverse. Christchurch to Picton takes just over 7 hours; Christchurch to Kaikoura is around 3½ hours; Kaikoura to Picton is just under 4 hours. Departures available daily between late Sep-late Apr.
FROM £59 (Christchurch to Kaikoura or Kaikoura to Picton one way) or £99 (Christchurch to Picton one way)
Superb tours, a choice of hotels, pre-bookable excursions and unforgettable rail journeys across Australia and New Zealand. Plus cruises and Fiji, Tahiti and the Cook Islands.
