craigdominey7102

My wife and I are flying to Auckland in late September for 2 weeks from the U.S.. I've reached the point with itinerary planning that I know we can't see both the North and South Islands. But if we have a couple of days or so toward the end, is it worth going to Christchurch and taking the TranzAlpine train so we at least get a taste of the Southern Alps?

Right now I'd be interested in resting in Auckland, then proceeding to places like Waitomo, Rotorua, Tongariro Crossing, Napier and Wellington (inc Kapiti Island and the West Coast). I'm a hiker and my wife is not, so I'm trying to split the difference between hiking and more casual sight seeing.

I know this is subjective but are the Southern Alps worth the trip to Christchurch to take this train? I know we should dedicate a separate trip to the South (or at least I should) but it's unlikely we would return to NZ.

And this is really subjective but we just traveled to Banff in Canada and those mountains were beyond spectacular. Not sure if the Southern Alps would be more of the same.

Just trying to wrap my head around all this. Thanks for any help!

mlgb

I don't think that Arthur's Pass necessarily gives you the classic taste of the Southern Alps. Queenstown/Wanaka/Arrowtown would be a more classic view.

If you are a train enthusiast, one thing you could do instead would be to take the Coastal Paciific Train with a stopover in Kaikoura. One issue is timing, note that it starts back up 9/19.
There should be a lot of snow on the Kaikoura range, I think the view is impressive from town.

You could combine the train with one of the ferry crossings from Wellington to Picton and a one-way flight in or out of Christchurch. I know there are a few international flights out of Christchurch also.

See my (relatively recent) trip report for a few lodging and restaurant ideas. There are some others such as magsrose who spent more time on the North Island than most.

Semi live from New Zealand

cdominey

Thanks for your response - I'm not really a train enthusiast, just seemed like a quick way to see the Southern Alps with our limited time. I'm even considering flying from Wellington to Queenstown and spending time at Milford Sound and other areas for a few days just to get a taste. Then fly back to Auckland, then back to the States.

Melnq8

I'd drive over Arthur's Pass instead, as the train takes you through some 15 tunnels, and having done both, I find the drive much more interesting.

Having said that, I'd not go to the SI just for the train or that particular drive. Sounds like you're just going to stay for a day or two? How much time are we talking about?

cdominey

Probably 3-5 days on SI.

marg

We've travelled in the Canadian Rockies and the south island of New Zealand and I have to admit that the Banff/Jasper is more spectacular than the NZ alps (much as I love New Zealand). If you will only have time for the train trip, I'd say use your spare day or so in the north island. However, if you can stretch your travels by a few more days, the NZ south island is really beautiful.

craigdominey7102

Thanks marg, that's exactly what I was looking for! It seems like there's a lot in the North that I don't get to see everyday (volcanoes, islands, etc).

mlgb

I think that Melnq8 and I had this discussion once before, about people who live near Alpine scenery might be underwhelmed with the Southern Alps (South Island). When I was sharing a cabin in Arthur's Pass a while back, there were a few Canadians there who expressed that opinion, and they said they were more interested in some cultural highlights (such as the Rotorua area on the North Island).

If you had another two weeks, then places on the South Island like the Otago Peninsula,Catlins, Kaikoura, West Coast, Abel Tasman would be in play.

If you don't get seasick and since you'll be in Wellington anyways, and the weather is good (often not) consider a ferry crossing over to Picton.

craigdominey7102

I wish I had another 2 weeks! It seems travelers spend weeks or months there. I may reconsider and concentrate on the NI which seems like it has more than enough to see. I don’t want to be exhausted. Thanks for all the help!