Hi fellow travellers....My husband and I are planning a trip ....long time ..since covid....I observe many do this trip by road. Any recommendations to doing South Island by rail...so save some of the driving times. We would fly into Queenstown and travel up to Napiers (by train) and then do the balance of North Island by car/plane. Recommendations welcomed....we love cultural and outdoor activities. Thanks in advance

I'll be interested to see what other travellers say. The train sounds quite appealing.

Trains in NZ aren't very extensive. Queenstown is on the SI, Napier on the north. There is no train service from Queenstown.

These are the only train services in NZ:

Northern Explorer: Auckland-Wellington-Auckland train service
The Northern Explorer train service is a scenic rail journey through the five unique geographical regions of the North Island - travelling between Auckland, New Zealand's largest city - home of the Sky Tower, through the central heartland of the North Island to Wellington - New Zealand's harbour capital and arts and culture centre. Read more

Coastal Pacific: Christchurch–Picton–Christchurch train service
The Coastal Pacific train operates between the delightful port of Picton - the gateway to the beautiful Marlborough Sounds - to Kaikoura - the home of whale watching and onto Christchurch - the South Island's largest city. Read more

Tranz Alpine: Christchurch–Greymouth–Christchurch train service
The Tranz Alpine train operates between Christchurch, Arthurs Pass and Greymouth - from the east coast to the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. Read more

https://railnewzealand.com/train-services

You'd have to take the ferry between the two islands, or fly.

As much as I like public transport in Europe, I'm a firm believer that driving is the best way to go in NZ. There are bus services however.

https://www.intercity.co.nz/travel-info/route-map

With 10 days, personally, I'd stick to one island. You're going to spend all of your time getting from Point A to Point B, with very little time to see the places you're visiting.

Do keep in mind that if you're coming from say, the US, you're going to lose a few days to jetlag, and crossing the international dateline, so I hope you mean you have 10 days on the ground.

Thanks much.....I have booked the TranzAlpine: Scenic Train Christchurch to Auther's Pass and return by car - it was sold out on the rail site and so I got a Viator Trip with the date that suits us. I will continue to explore options

I agree with Melnq8, with only 10 days, stick with the South Island. I'd also add that NZ's few passenger trains are nothing like the high-speed trains of many countries in Europe and Asia. They are not really an effective means of saving time. For example, the train journey from Wellington, at the southern end of the North Island, to Auckland in the north (but not far north) of the North Island, takes a little more than 12 hours. Plus, you have to add a little time for getting to and from the rail station from your accommodation. If you drove, it would take about 8 hours to get from Wellington to Auckland. The journey from Christchurch to Greymouth takes 5 hours. If you were to drive it would take under 4 hours.

If you decide to just travel to the South Island, after picking up your rental car in Greymouth, consider spending two nights on the West Coast (lots to see and do), before continuing to Wanaka and/or Queenstown (loads to see and do). Don't miss a visit to Milford or Doubtful Sound, whether you do so by driving yourself (in which case you'd be wise to spend a night in Te Anau, which is gateway town for the road to Milford Sound) or take an all-day tour by bus and or small plane from Queenstown.

Alternatively, after picking up your car in Greymouth, you could as planned drive yourselves back to Christchurch, but instead of returning all the way to Christchurch, head to Lake Tekapo for the night (the drive from Greymouth to Tekapo would be around 4 hours) or continue another hour and a half or so to Aoraki-Mt. Cook village to spend the night there instead. I would spend two nights in this area, known as the Mackenzie Basin (lots to see and do). Then continue to Wanaka and/or Queenstown for the rest of your trip. You can easily find a flight from Queenstown to Auckland or Christchurch for your departure home.

A self-drive trip allows you to stop when and wherever you wish---and, rest assured, you will want to stop. A trip to NZ is equally about the journey as it is about your destinations.

If you feel strongly about visiting the North Island, with only 10 days, I would cut Napier, though I should ask why you want to go there. Napier is nice (Art Deco architecture, wineries, etc.), but in my mind not a must for a first time visitor with one 10 days for their visit. It's out of the way. As you are interested in culture, Rotorua, known for Maori culture and geothermal attractions, would be a priority over Napier. Rotorua can be easily visited from Auckland. There are direct flights from Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland to Rotorua. Depending on what time of year you're visiting, there might be direct flights from Queenstown, but maybe not (many domestic routes were recently cut). But you can connect through CC or Wellington.

You've reminded me, committed train buffs who've already taken the 3 major train trips (as desribed by Melnq8) might be interested to know the Southerner train will run a few trips in May. Again, I stress this would mainly appeal to locals who live on or near the train route, returning tourists who are interested in train travel and would like to see something new, and true train travel aficionados. For more info: https://www.greatjourneysnz.com/shor...erner-returns/

Thanks for all the info on trains and jet lag (real). - we have decided to rent a car