Best Train Tour NZ Diamond Princess Cruise

Hi all, just wandering if anyone can give me some advice on two shore tours both are train journeys. I am will be on Diamond Princess leaving 19th dec to NZ. Hubby and I are late 30's and daughter is 15. We want to do a train trip but only can really afford one and want to know which one you recommend. Options are:

1. Akaroa: Tranz Alpine Train & Arthur's Pass

2. Dunedin: Taieri George by Train

Thanks in advance.

Heres a thread from a while back that may be of some help..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1721845&highlight=taiere+gorge

Do them both . If you can only do one then make it the Trieri Gorge departs and returns from the wharf where ship docks in Dunedin . Trieri Gorge is both ways on train including lunch served on board . Tranz Alpine is bus one way and train the other .

Taieri Gorge. The scenery is stunning and it would be a more relaxed day trip.

The TranzAlpine is a great journey but it is a very long day, especially from Akaroa.

Hi all, just wandering if anyone can give me some advice on two shore tours both are train journeys. I am will be on Diamond Princess leaving 19th dec to NZ. Hubby and I are late 30's and daughter is 15. We want to do a train trip but only can really afford one and want to know which one you recommend. Options are:

1. Akaroa: Tranz Alpine Train & Arthur's Pass

2. Dunedin: Taieri George by Train

Thanks in advance.

As noted in the live/blog below, we did many great stops in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. This includes doing the Tranz Alpine Train to Arthur's Pass.

BUT, with our cruise line there was an option for whether, after this trip, you did a final stop at a historic sheep ranch . . . OR . . . doing a JetBoat ride on a narrow canyon near by the mountains.

Sure glad that we did the JetBoat trip!! Super great!! See some of my photos as proof and evidence, plus some visuals in connection with the Tranz Alpine train trip. As others have noted, the Tranz Alpine can be somewhat long, especially from Akoroa's tendering location. Personally, for us and others in our group, the whole day was long but wonderful.

At Dunedin, we could not do the Taieri George rail trip as we did the two-day, Queenstown overnight excursion that was awesome for seeing and experiencing the interior of NZ's South Island. Don't miss the historic Dunedin train station. Very interesting and a must-see!! Much more on the full live/blog. Lots of ideas, options, details, visuals, etc. Happy to answer any questions, share more background by just posting your interests/needs on the live/blog.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 80,096 views for this fun posting.

First is one of my visuals that gives a little sampling for the spectacular Waimakariri River gorge seen from the Tranz Alpine Rail trip. Great "drama" in this aspect of the trip, especially with the blue waters that we would later travel "up-close-and-personal" via a JetBoat trip.:

This second picture gives an idea for the view from the outdoor viewing platform near the front of this train. It had a covered roof but open sides to create an ideal location to take photos from the train. No photo glare from trying to shoot through a window. I spent most the time through the mountains in this location.:

Yes, there was snow on some of the mountain tops in this part of NZ, even during the summer time. The blue water are part of scenic nature for this park and its nearby area. The mix of steep gorges and wide braided rivers straddle the main divide.:

With the NZ JetBoat, we loved the THRILLS doing these fast, roaring shots up and down this narrow and scenic section of this river. I was fortunately seated right behind our excellent driver, Greg Peacock. I didn't get very wet, but those on the right side got more of the "showers". No extra charge. But, nobody got too wet. It was all part of the fun. At a couple points during our about 25-minute trip on the river, Greg stopped at a scenic location in this river/gorge to give us more background on these boats, experiences in doing this work since 1998 for him, etc. These Hamilton Jet Boats were developed around 1960, including work done at this site to perfect the design and test the models/designs. Notice the great background/dramatic areas that we were "sailing" up and down?:

There were three boats from our ship group doing this trip and here is a picture that I got of another JetBoat during our fast ride on the river doing its adventure. A picture is worth a thousand words in summarizing how fast these boats travel and the fun being had by those doing this exciting trip.:

Here is a picture that my wife loved. Notice her hands and those of others in our row super tightly gripping the safety bar? That says so much about the speed and thrills while roaring up and down this amazing stretch of scenic river near Christchurch. I showed my wife this picture (and several others like this one of her where the wind was blowing her hair in the opposite direction). She liked this picture so much, that she said to put this one in her obituary (not that this need is upcoming anytime soon). It showed her having fun and she said this ride was the most fun of the whole cruise/trip. We had lots of great moments on this trip, but one was a unique and special ride in a location that is spectacularly world-class. And, perfect weather with good friends added to the great joy!!: