This took the stress out of driving. The commentary was really good. The dining car and food was great, reasonably priced food. Fully recommend.
Loved this train trip journey and experience from Christchurch to Picton New Zealand. The views were magnificent, mountain peaks, the ocean so close to the train where seals and sea birds were aplenty. Acres and acres of grape vines as far as the eye could see a vista of richness and cultivated splendour to feast ones eyes upon. On arriving at the train station it was a bonus to find that the car renyal depots were just across the road and the Interilander Ferry was right next door to the station.
The ocean road and scenery was spectacular! I enjoyed sipping on some NZ wine and watching the beautiful scenery. Very relaxing and I enjoyed the whole trip until it became dark at 6pm.
Very nice time with a beautiful view of the beautiful landscapes of the south island . Small point less well, as night falls faster in this period and we were on the train for two hours at night.
Absolutely amazing train trip, views are incredible. Outdoor carriage is wonderful. Staff friendly and helpful. Train left late from Picton. Woman issuing boarding passes etc could do with some advice regarding promoting Picton tourist activities, being that the majority of train passengers are tourists. A couple asked her for some ideas of what to do in Picton while they waited for the train departure as they had a few hours in Picton. The lady was very unhelpful, which is crazy considering Picton must rely on the tourist trade. Said ' there's a shipwreck down the road' in a very non enthusiastic manner, and 'there's a museum that might be open'. Both the 'ship wreck' - actually the Edwin Fox museum, and the Picton museum are about 100 metres from the train station so you would think she would have some knowledge about both of these. The Edwin Fox is an incredible tourist destination and would do with having people in the Picton tourist industry recommending it rather than just saying ' there's a shipwreck down the road'. As a tourism operator you would think she would also know the Picton museum hours, and have some enthusiasm about these two places to recommend.