The Mountaineer Train Tour

Price: 

• Adult Return Trip NZ$179
• Child (3-14yrs) Return Trip NZ$89
• Infant (free) sitting on a lap
• Family Pass (2x adults & 2x children) Return Trip NZ$499

Next trips: Sat, 30th March 2024 & Sun, 31st March 2024

Tour Includes:

• Approx. 7 hours in tour duration (incl. a 30-min stop at Arthurs Pass);
• Complimentary freshly baked muffin.

Travel along one of the most spectacular stretches of rail in the world, powered by our retro, red and white, 1950’s classic DA locomotive. Take in stunning vistas of the Canterbury Plains, then climb through untouched mountain landscapes, across turquoise blue rivers, gorges, bridges, and viaducts, to Arthur’s Pass Village, the highest railway station in the South Island at 2,400 ft above sea level. 

The Journey:

Your journey departs from Christchurch, behind our DA class locomotive, relaxing in beautifully restored heritage carriages, whilst attended to by our onboard hospitality team.

We head west across the panoramic expanse of the Canterbury Plains towards the golden tussock native grasses of the high country, where the Southern Alp’s sentinels stand guard at the gateway to Arthur’s Pass.

Passing through Springfield - the “last post” - before entering the mountains, we follow the meandering, turquoise waters of the Waimakariri River, hugging the cliff faces and navigating our way over deep gorges, bridges, and viaducts.

Continuing our ascent to Craigieburn, we thread our way through a myriad of short tunnels and across several viaducts including the traverse over the magnificent Staircase Viaduct, an engineering marvel constructed between tunnels, and standing tall at a towering 72 metres.

One of the most iconic vantage points is revealed to us at the far end of the Craigieburn Straight, where at Cass, the views of Mount Binser and siblings in the distance, are breath-taking.

Continuing our Westerly heading we pass Lake Sarah, a pristine high-country lake of extraordinary beauty, encircled in the background by Mount Horrible and other senior mountain members of the Arthur’s Pass National Park.

Yet another photo opportunity presents itself when we cross the Waimakariri river and a wide lens view of epic proportion opens right up in front of you.

At Arthur's Pass Village, the highest railway station in the South Island at 2,400 feet above sea level, we stop for 30-minutes to turn the locomotive around for the return leg. 

Pause to enjoy the fresh, clear, alpine air and look out for the native kea (a protected large alpine parrot), which often visit the village.

Embark the train for the return journey back to Christchurch to experience it all once more.

Immerse yourself in the history, stories and culture of the region with our onboard commentary.

Please see the train times for the tour on the schedule page.

Snack boxes will be made available for pre-purchase. Light snacks and refreshments will be available onboard. You are welcome to bring your own food onboard your train journey.

Please note carriage seating is pre-allocated. If you would like to be seated with friends or family that are not included on your booking ie. they have booked separately, then please add their names in the Note section when completing your booking. Only fully collapsible, smaller sized baby strollers, or walkers, can be transported on board the train.