Christchurch to Arthur's Pass Day Tour: TranzAlpine Train & Lunch
Overview
Available languages
10 hours
Mobile ticket
Discover the breathtaking Southern Alps on this Arthur's Pass day tour from Christchurch. Travel in premium comfort through Canterbury's alpine region, then return on the world-famous TranzAlpine train—one of the world's most spectacular rail journeys.
Your Kiwi guide shares Māori history and insights as you cross Canterbury's braided rivers. Stop at Waimakariri Gorge for riverside walks and an optional jet boat experience.
Explore Castle Hill's limestone formations that inspired Middle Earth, visit alpine lakes including Lake Pearson and Lake Lyndon, and stop at Otira Viaduct Lookout. Lookout for the Kea—New Zealand's alpine parrot.
At Arthur's Pass Village, hike the Devils Punchbowl Track to a 154-meter waterfall or explore village shops. Your highlight awaits—the return journey aboard the TranzAlpine train with open-air viewing carriages.
Travel carbon-neutral in a premium Mercedes Sprinter and enjoy an included lunch and expert guiding with your small group. 100% Kiwi-owned.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
As we make our way through the Selwyn District, you will be greeted by Springfield, where we will then make our turn off towards the team at Alpine Jet Thrills. Here there are walks, views of the Waimakariri river, and sheep cuddles to enjoy. Looking for more adventure? Add on a 30 minute thrilling jet boat experience on one of the region’s most famous rivers (extra booked and sold separately).
Lake Lyndon
Quick photo stop at Lake Lyndon (Te Hāpua Waikawa), nestled at the base of Porters Pass. Known as one of the region's colder alpine lakes, capture reflections of surrounding peaks.
What‘s Included
Expert Kiwi guide with live commentary (English)
Free WiFi, USB charging and bottled water ports onboard
TranzAlpine train ticket (Arthur's Pass to Christchurch)
Lunch and kiwi snacks
Hotel pickup and drop-off from 16 central Christchurch locations
Premium Mercedes Sprinter transport with air conditioning
Small-group tour for personalized attention
100% carbon-neutral tour—all emissions offset
Jet boat experience at Alpine Jet Thrills (optional on the day)
Pickup points
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Christchurch to Arthur's Pass Day Tour: TranzAlpine Train & Lunch
Pickup included
Reviews
82 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Awesome Experience
Nagendra V,,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Excellent experience; a soft-spoken, knowledgeable guide. Comfortable coach and unforgettable return journey on the transAlpine Train.
Arthur’s Pass and Back
Ges W,,Dec 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic experience with an incredibly knowledgeable and friendly guide. The jet boating is a must!
Half Great, Half Disappointing
Charlotte M,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00I really loved parts of this tour, but was fairly disappointed by others. The good: Castle Hill was a stunning hike through large rock formations - I wish we had more time there because I could’ve spent hours, but the hour we got was long enough to eat and walk around for a bit at least. The Devil’s Punchbowl hike on Arthur’s Pass was great. Loooots of stairs, but we made it with time to spare to pop into the cafe during our 75-minute stop on the pass. The TransAlpine ride was beautiful and peaceful. I would take that train again any day. The disappointing: We didn’t stop at either lake on the itinerary, or even have them pointed out that I can recall. I had been looking forward to those photo opportunities so that was unfortunate. The jet boat stop was overly long. For groups that don’t want to ride the jet boats, there was a lot of milling around, though feeding and petting the sheep was fun. I think it would make a lot more sense if there were separate bookings of this day trip that included the jet boat rides with a longer stop, and ones that just made a quick stop to see the river and sheep and then had time to stop at the other viewpoints along the way. Our tour guide, Zach, was unfortunately not good. He stated right from the time we got in the van that he wouldn’t be giving commentary as we drove, and he stayed true to that. It felt like a personal choice for him not to talk though, as every other tour we’ve had in NZ has been extremely lively with lots of information throughout the drives. All day he made it seem like a job he wasn’t enjoying. There was a lot of confusion when it came to getting on the train as well. He didn’t have our tickets or tell us where to pick them up, so we ended up sitting in someone else’s seat when we first boarded and had to seek out the train crew to figure out where we were supposed to go. Thankfully they were very helpful and helped us find our seats, but I think since the train tickets are part of this tour that it should’ve been a much easier and clearer process. Overall, the things we did do on the tour were really great, and in fact my husband said it might have been his favorite day in NZ for all of the time we got to spend in the mountains. But as a whole and in comparison to other tours we’ve taken, it was disappointing for everything we didn’t get out of it. Having a guide with more motivation to make it fun and informative would’ve helped a ton, but you can’t go wrong with the sites you’ll see.
Surprise Mountain Tour
Wayne,,Dec 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.001. Bus up to Arthurs Pass; Alpine Express return to ChCh 2. Chance for ab fab Jetboat Experience 3. Informative & entertaining commentary
The weather the day we went was perfect. A wonderful time was had by all. A relaxing train trip back topped off the day.
joannemC3715SP,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00From pick up to drop off the whole day was well organised. The tour guide was friendly, funny and knowledgeable. The views were magnificent.
Great train journey
Vipin R,,Dec 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Great experince in one of the best train travels I have done , the cafe on board serves as a bonus , large clear windows help one to see all the beauty without any obstruction
Well worth the trip
Tiarni P,,Dec 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Joseph our guide was fantastic. Informative, funny, friendly and accommodating to all guests. Scenery was beautiful
Wonderful tour!
Ronald S,,Dec 11, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Very knowledgeable guide. Great tour! It was a long day but saw some fantastic scenery. I truly recommend it!
Great trip & everything went well
Lawrence S,,Dec 11, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Everything went well. Jess was a great driver/guide. The alpine jet boat was good. The hike at Arthur pass (called devils punchbowl waterfall) is around 20mins+ to reach the waterfall… some steep steps.. great experience to reach the waterfall….
A great day out with...
Joanne S,,Nov 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00A great day out with knowledgeable guide. Saw some amazing sites and the trip catered for different people - options to do activities or chill and have a coffee. Ideal for sole travelers as you meet others also travelling alone. Make sure you take wet weather gear - the weather at Arthur’s Pass was pretty wet!
From NZ$440.00
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Operated by Cheeky Kea Tours