Great Journeys New Zealand

Although driving is my forte, travelling by rail with Great Journeys New Zealand was absolutely the way to get across part of the South Island of NZ! We went with the 'TranzAlpine Scenic Plus Experience' and it was wonderful. The staff were so kind and welcoming and made us feel very comfortable. My wife and I had just married each other and the staff wrote in a card, and all signed it - amazing! Thank you Great Journeys New Zealand. ❤️ - Courtenay Driving Educator

We took the 17-day Signature | New Zealand Up Close tour starting in Auckland and ending in Queenstown including all 3 trains. It was an amazing tour in many ways, but disappointing / frustrating in others. There is no way we could have seen this much of New Zealand in one trip had we organized it ourselves, and several of the days were truly once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We met some interesting fellow travelers and our tour director was sweet and helpful. But we were often unhappy or uncomfortable. Here is what could have been better: Lodging: We were promised 4-star hotels. We got that only about half the nights. Also, GJNZ did not do a good job of following through on our original request for rooms with king beds. Instead this got handled at each new place as a last-minute upgrade request at check-in which sometimes could but sometimes could not be accommodated. Transport: The trains were wonderful. There was also (necessarily, it seems) quite a lot of time in a bus, with not enough bus stops for either scenic photos or bathroom breaks. Pace: There were lots of early morning starts - which did not leave adequate time for sleep and getting ready for the day. There was generally not enough time at the various destinations. Activities often seemed rushed. We would have appreciated a longer tour with a few extra unscheduled days peppered into the itinerary to either rest or explore - especially in the cities of Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. Info / education: We had thought this would be a guided tour, but our tour director was NOT a professional guide and was not particularly knowledgeable or able to answer many questions about what we were seeing. Her role was limited to organizational and trouble-shooting; more of a conductor than a guide. Overall this is an ideal tour for someone who is young and able to go many hours between bathroom breaks; doesn't mind a fast pace with early morning starts; isn't picky about hotels; and who doesn't want or need a guide. If you are highly educated and plan to ask a lot of probing questions; if you are older and slowing down; or if you prefer luxury accommodations and service, this is probably not the right tour for you.

This was a very enjoyable ride from Picton to Christchurch. It started off with checking in our baggage at 10am at the Picton station. The lady that run reception is a rude. The most annoying thing about this train ride is that we can’t choose our seats and we there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. My suggestion to them is that they should check in guest first come first serve for scenic side and for those who ride the whole ride should get that priority. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the scenic side and our group of 4 sadly watched how they left another group of 4 open seats stay open for half of the ride. It was very aggravating. We enjoy our seat with a table though. If you’re not on the scenic side it also gets very hot as the sun beams on you. Ppl actually did close their blinds. The open air cart was very nice and breezy. The cafe was alright on their selection too. Very inconsistent reception for paying for your items though. Overall it was very scenic and it was enjoyable.

It's amazing if your train does run. If not be prepared to deal with the worst customer service ever. They will send your cancellation request out 6 minutes after their phone line closes for the day. They will offer you alternative transport via coach for just a 50% refund of your $240 ticket, which is more expensive than an intercity bus or flying. They will ignore your request for a refund for almost 3 weeks. They fail to understand that their customers often make a special trip out to do their trains, the cancellation reason was out of their control but they refuse to offer any discount to a future booking on an off-season train with empty seats. They will ignore your email, likely not read it all and just respond with one sentence. It's basic customer service to offer customers a partial discount on their fare if their first journey was impacted. If you do try to phone up good luck getting through, I tried multiple times and it feels like you are permanently on hold. Disgusting company considering they charge so much for their train fares, as much as I would love to try to do the Northern Explorer again I can't as it's now outside my budget to make a whole separate trip to do it.

I was privileged to be a member of the first guided tour group. The complete tour travelled on all three of their trains from Auckland to Queenstown (includes a bus sectoin from Greymouth) but due to time constraints I only went as far as Christchurch. This was a wonderful trip with stops along the way - all organised ahead of time. Some stops were just one night with others two nights. Some sightseeing tours were included eg cablecar ride, Marlborough wine tour and city sights tours whilst others were optional extras egpunting in Christchurch and whale watching in Kaikoura. Most meals were included with some on the trains. Our tour guide, Mark, demonstrated his great love for NZ and was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We also had time to ourselves to rest, hire a bike and wander through the shops, galleries and museums etc. The trains had onboard commentaries and were very comfortable with large viewing windows to take in the spectacular scenery. Also met Valerie, Graham and Emma from the booking office. A fantastic team. Loved every minute.

Place for : photo and relaxing Walking down from my bus toward the bus station, the cold winter is blowing so strong it got into my bone. As i get into the train after purchasing my ticket, the train blow a loud horn, making sure everybody know that the adventures is about to begin. As the engine start, pulling its body trough a dense fog, i sit beside the window not sure what to expect in this journey I'm about to have, and enjoying the moments alone. As the sun starts to rise up, pushing all the fog, slowly revealing the beauty it hides, i was mesmerized, and stand up reaching for my camera and rush to the front. As the door open and i walk to the open side of the train, my eyes won't shut itself. Range of mountains, full with wild flowers, stream of rivers shimmering like gold, lots and lots of green field, full of animals, and still so many indescribable by words alone. That moment i really wish god give me an extra pair of eye in my back so I won't miss a moments of the scene in the other side of the train. When you come here make sure you bring camera and prepare the right lenses for your shots. Every penny you pay for this trip will worth it. You won't regret it, I'm sure of this. It makes me wonder what will this landscape be when it is spring. And how about summer and spring?

The Great Journeys of New Zealand is a very good company. I took TranzAlpine with them which was very beautiful & scenic. Their Interislander was also very helpful in going from South to North Island. The plus lounge access on Interislander is extremely useful so make sure you get it. The staff of TGJONZ is also very friendly & cooperative.

Train ride was fine, was a bit delayed but once we were on our seats were easy to find and relax. Open air car was a lot of fun, and the snacks in the cafe were good.