kiwi rail

Scenic train enthusiasts, we might just have your dream holiday. A train operator in New Zealand is soon to offer travel packages that combine not one, not two but three scenic train routes. How bloomin’ brill does that sound, eh?

The operator in question is called Great Journeys New Zealand and it’s set to provide multi-day tours that’ll let travellers explore pretty much all of NZ by scenic train, as well as get to do lots of non-train stuff like hiking, whale-spotting and wine-tasting.

Great Journeys’ itineraries range from six to 17 days in length, but the picks of the bunch are the ones that include all three scenic train journeys. The scenic routes in question are the TranzAlpine from Christchurch to Greymouth, the Northern Explorer that runs between Auckland and Wellington and Coastal Pacific, which goes from Picton to Christchurch.

There are two broad categories of tour run by Great Journeys: ‘Classic’ and ‘Signature’. ‘Classic’ tours, as the name suggests, include some of New Zealand’s biggest cities and destinations, while ‘Signature’ packages are a bit more focused on lesser-known locations and local experiences. Here are a few more pics of the trains in action.

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If you’re itching to book one of these scenic train packages, the good news is that you won’t really have to wait much time at all. Great Journeys New Zealand’s packages kick off in January 2023 – you can find out more and book here.

Did you see that a new night train to Venice and Croatia has just launched? 

Plus: a dazzling new train route is set