MacsTravel Blog

Due to the absence of a rental car anywhere within a 100km of Picton on the South Island we were forced to scramble a bit to get from Blenheim to Christchurch. As seems to so often be the case, the bumps in the road worked out for the best.

We decided on the option of taking the Coastal Pacific train, one of New Zealand Rail’s “Great Journeys”. Not having a car meant giving up on a planned whale watching trip in Kaikoura, but the train went along the coastline through that area. Maybe, we told each other, we’d get lucky and see something worthwhile.

The train was scheduled to leave Blenheim at 2:00 pm, which gave us a lazy morning to walk around. A short taxi ride to the railway station (twice as long as it needed to be since we had to return to get the cell phone I “Lisa’d”, sorry, left in the lobby- mea culpa. I may or may not have been making fun of Robin’s obsessive use of her Apple Watch to locate her Apple phone shortly before this incident) and we were standing on the platform waiting for the train.

The trip was very worthwhile. It’s roughly a five hour journey, but the passenger cars are spacious and comfortable with windows that are high and wide. There is a decent and affordable cafe as well as an open air viewing car for taking clearer pictures. Along the way pre-recorded commentary is provided on the headsets provided.

It’s a beautiful journey. The train follows the same route Highway 1 takes, and both the railway and highway were severely damaged by the 2016 earthquake and only recently reopened. The railway line itself took almost 80 years to build such were the challenges of tunnelling, building bridges and engineering a route that clung to the coastline. Even today this beautiful region is very sparsely populated.

Initially we are treated to more views of the familiar landscape of Blenheim and Marlborough.

As the train moves south-east it hugs the coast for well over 100km and we have mostly unobstructed views of the Pacific. If you squint hard and use your imagination you can see the South American coastline. ; )

While we didn’t see whales we were fortunate to see hundreds of seals and their pups basking on the rocks. A little further along we spotted dozens of pods of dolphins playing offshore. The train slowed to a crawl for 10-15 minutes so we could enjoy that sight.

Many, but certainly not all, of the towns along the way are named for former Prime Ministers or colonial settlers, while most of the rivers and landforms retain (or have reclaimed) Māori names.

The journey takes you through the Marlborough region deep into Canterbury, where Christchurch is located.

All in all this railway side-trip felt like a bonus. We have a couple of nights and a free day to wander Christchurch before we catch yet another “Great Train Journey”, this one the Trans Alpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth. It should be spectacular!