Apparently, the TranzAlpine btw Greymouth and Christchurch is "one of the top six" train journeys in the world. I am assuming that the ride is famous for the scenery, as the narrow-gauge train doesn't look like anything special. I am thinking about driving this distance instead. The road and tracks parallel each other most of the way.

Should I be taking the train?

I could pick up a rental car either at Christchurch airport or at the Greymouth train station on the way north to Nelson (Abel Tasman National Park), my eventual destination.

fallinasleep

I have done it both ways in recent times, taking the train for the first and only time last October. You do get a different perspective since at many points you are several hundred feet above the roadway. The enormity of the Pass is far more obvious from the road IMHO though it is a tougher and slower assignment to drive than train it. The train itself is nothing flash and there is only one per day (around 9am). On reflection the scenery on the road as your turn corners can be breathtaking whereas you become a bit blase on the train after the tenth peak.

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JBC
If it is to be, it is up to me

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by John Cogley:
fallinasleep

I have done it both ways in recent times, taking the train for the first and only time last October. You do get a different perspective since at many points you are several hundred feet above the roadway. The enormity of the Pass is far more obvious from the road IMHO though it is a tougher and slower assignment to drive than train it. The train itself is nothing flash and there is only one per day (around 9am). On reflection the scenery on the road as you turn corners can be breathtaking whereas you become a bit blase on the train after the tenth peak.

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Edited for grammar

I did the train trip 5 years ago and didn't think that it was anything special. If I did it again I would do it by car. The train itself was fine, but I don't know who came up with it being ranked in the top 6. I love train travel and have done Copper Canyon, Canadian, European and the 44 hour Northern route from Chicago to Seattle, etc.
BTW don't get suckered into all the hype about the Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki. The surroundings are esthetic enough, but the "Lodge" (which was planned to be renovated with a new kitchen) was not anything special. Food-just OK. Rooms are new, but on the order of a 1960's motor lodge with a view of the "Lodge." The lake draws some nasty little flys that bite through your clothing, and I cut my canoe trip short to escape them. I had a wonderful memorable trip to NZ, the above would not be repeated.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RLewis:
he train itself was fine, but I don't know who came up with it being ranked in the top 6. </font>

That's what I am beginning to wonder myself! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

Sounds like I will be driving the distance.

We took the train uphill from Christchurch, then switched to a tour van for a mountain ride and a riverboat excursion. Unfortunately, while the day was dry, thick clouds blocked the mountain views.

See this thread for Seat 2A's recent play-by-play report on his experience on the TranzAlpine.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/002558.html

Apparently, the TranzAlpine btw Greymouth and Christchurch is "one of the top six" train journeys in the world. . .

I did the train trip 5 years ago and didn't think that it was anything special. If I did it again I would do it by car. . .

Top Six in the world? I guess there's a reason it's not in the Top 5, as I concur with the latter comment, as I didn't think it was anything special.

I'm resurrecting this 5-year-old thread because I'm relatively certain, having taken this trip last week, that nothing has changed in the past five years.

No question, the scenery is beautiful, but I didn't find it breath-taking, as I imagined I would from reports in the published guidebooks. If I was looking for a way to get from Christchurch to Greymouth (or vis versa) and didn't want to drive, it would be a nice way to do the trip. But to do a round-trip in a single day was too long, with not enough spectacular views to keep it interesting.

Were I to do this trip again, I would drive, half-way, to Arthur's Pass, then drive back to Christchurch. The road (which snakes along near the train tracks for most of the way) looked like an easy, comfortable drive that wasn't at all busy.

The train is old and not particularly comfortable -- especially for four-and-a-half hours each way. We were assigned seats in two different cars, one newer and one older. The newer one offered significantly more comfortable seats.

For people who are prone to motion sickness, this ride will be a challenge. There is a lot of bumping motion - it's no European or Japanese-style train. It's old technology, which results in an old-world style ride. You really want to site by a window, as the view from the aisle can get nauseating after a while, even if you're not particularly prone to motion sickness.

Some logistical details: You leave CHC at 8:15 AM and are scheduled to arrive in Greymouth at 12:45. (We arrived about 20 minutes late, due to some unscheduled operational stops.) There is one stop each-way at Arthur's Pass, the summit, for about 5 minutes.

You have one hour in Greymouth, before the train departs for the return trip. It wasn't enough time, having just spent four-and-a-half hours riding up, to get back on the train so quickly. Two hours in Greymouth, with a quaint little downtown area, to explore the shops and have a nice lunch, would be more comfortable. You get back to Christchurch in the 6:00-6:30 range.

The train offers a snack car, where you can buy cold and warmed up sandwiches and other snacks, as well as a variety of drinks from coffee to soft drinks to beer & wine. The quality of the food was decent; a bit better than I expected, actually. You go to the snack car to pick up your food and then take it back to your seats. There is no dining car, nor seat service.

As for seats, for the best views, you definitely want to be on the right side (direction of travel) on the way from CHC to Greymouth, and on the left side on the return. The seats you want are on the G/H side, not the A/C side) We were on the A/C side, both directions, which no doubt tainted our experience. :( The views were still nice, but most of the major sites being pointed out were on the other side, as were the overall better views.

All things considered, I believe there are better ways to spend 10 hours and see more beautiful scenery in the Christchurch area. I wouldn't do this train again, or recommend it as a good use of a day in the area.

I'm currently planning to ride the bus from Christchurch to Greymouth and then take the train back in the afternoon. This is based on advice I've read here on FT and on other sites, since the bus ride ride will show you things that you can't se from the train and vice versa. Someone also wrote that the train ride from Greymouth to Christchurch offers better views than going the other way.

My question is if you think I should do the whole trip Christchurch-Greymouth-Christchurch or if I should do Christchurch-Arthur's Pass (AP) on the bus, get off and walk around the area for a couple of hours and then take the train back to Christchurch in the afternoon?
It seems like most of the beautiful views are between Christchurch and AP and AP itself is nice, so maybe I should skip the AP-Greymouth-AP trip?

My question is if you think I should do the whole trip Christchurch-Greymouth-Christchurch or if I should do Christchurch-Arthur's Pass (AP) on the bus, get off and walk around the area for a couple of hours and then take the train back to Christchurch in the afternoon?
It seems like most of the beautiful views are between Christchurch and AP and AP itself is nice, so maybe I should skip the AP-Greymouth-AP trip?

We were only allowed off the train at Arthur's Pass for 5 minutes or so, so we didn't see anything but the platform. However, I have to say I wasn't all that taken by what I saw. There did not appear to be that much there to walk around and see (unless it's out of view at the train station). The beautiful views were, as you noted, prior to arriving at the pass (from Christchurch and I didn't see much of a town. (Though I could certainly have been looking out the wrong window. :))

I don't know what the bus schedule is, but the train on the return from Greymouth to Christchurch leaves Arthur's Pass a5 3:57 PM, so the timing may impact things. (And there is only one train per day.)

The light was definitely better in the afternoon, making the left-hand side of the train (in the direction of travel) the place to be sitting on the ride back to Christchurch. So be sure to request a seat on the left (G/H side) when you make your reservation and then when you check in. As I understand it, you can't actually get seat assignments until you pick up your tickets at the station.

We were only allowed off the train at Arthur's Pass for 5 minutes or so, so we didn't see anything but the platform. However, I have to say I wasn't all that taken by what I saw. There did not appear to be that much there to walk around and see (unless it's out of view at the train station).

Arthurs Pass township is very small. However there are some nice walks in the area if you have time (and the weather cooperates).