New Zealand Train Excursion Help

My wife and I will be cruising on the Solstice on 1/27/15 from Sydney to Auckland. Trying to decide between two different train excursions. One is the Taieri Gorge Train out of Dunedin and the other is the Tranzalpine train excursion out of Akaroa. If we did take the Tranzalpine excursion I would want to take that with the jet boat tour back instead of just the train by itself. Looking for opinions as to which train excursion would best for seeing the nicest and most diverse landscapes.

Hi

We took the transalpine and had a fab day. We set off by coach to the station through farmland. We boarded the train when they served champagne and scones with jam and cream. there was an open sided carriage where you could take photos. the train took us right above the snow line in the mountains with wonderful views of the river below. At the top we again boarded a coach for an amazing road journey through the mountains, We took an option to go to the historic farm where we had lunch, a sheepdog show, sheep

shearing and a small museum.

All in all a fabulous day!

We loved New Zealand and would go again in a heartbeat.

As an alternative to the Transalpine we booked a private excursion with Jack Treager in Akaroa. He was recommended to me by someone in the city Office of Akaroa. (I spent a LOT of time researching and don't remember the whole chain of people I contacted.)

Anyways, it was the MOST MEMORABLE day of our 35 day cruise.

From something I posted right after the cruise:

Old March 10th, 2013, 12:34 PM

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For those interested in going to Arthur's Pass and looking for a less expensive, more personal and absolutely fabulous tour there we can recommend Jack Treager. We just returned from a 35 day cruise around NZ and Australia and the day we spent with him was the highlight of the trip!

He has a car (not a bus) so can only take 2 - 4 people at a time. He shared wonderful stories with us all day while driving through the most beautiful areas.

We also drove through and saw some of the devastation in Christchurch on the way back to the ship.

I can't recommend him highly enough.

His email is jt@jtnztours.co.nz

webpage: http://www.akaroa.com/tours/jack-tregear-nz-tours

I promise

We did the Taieri Gorge train several years ago and were very disappointed in it. We found the seats very hard and uncomfortable, the scenery nice but not spectacular. The box lunch provided on the train was inedible.

We're 'train people' - have done the train all the way across the US (back in the 1960's & 70's), the Durango/Silverton line, the Fort Bragg/Willits "Skunk Train", the White Pass out of Skagway - and the Taieri Gorge was definitely our least favorite. We loved everything else about New Zealand, just not the train. Almost every review we've ever read was positive, most people love it, but it just wasn't a good experience for us.

We took the Transalpine train excursion back in November. It was a great trip. The scenery was beautiful and the tea and sconces were a lovely touch. After the train ride we did the jet boat. It was fabulous. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was exhilarating and fun. We would definitely do this excursion again. We didn't take the other train excursion so we cant compare them. In Dunedin we used Jim Archer as a tour guide. He was great. Friendly, knowledgeable and fun. We had a great day and enjoyed it so much we booked him for Auckland when we disembarked. Have a great cruise!

We used Jim Archer in Auckland and Akaroa. In Dunedin we used a company called back to nature. All were wonderful tours with knowledgeable people.

I live in NZ and have done the Tranz Alpine 4 times. Love it. Amazing scenery. The trains were upgraded with new cars last year, and still have the outdoor viewing car. Definitely do this.

Kiwi at Sea - Alan,

Thank you for you first hand advice. Photography is my hobby and I like taking pictures of landscapes and wildlife so I am very interested in a train car that is open without glass windows to be bale to take good pictures without glass reflections.

Have you ever taken a ride on the Taieri Gorge train.

Thanks,

Sabrefan - Ron

We did the Taieri Gorge train just last month while aboard Solstice. Although we enjoyed the day very much, I can't argue with the comments made by Kartgv. We, too, are "train people" and have experienced nicer in other places. We have not done the Tranz Alpine, so I can't offer a comparison.

If you do decide to take the Taieri Gorge train, realize you have the option of booking directly through the cruise line -or- independently. We booked direct with Taieri for a little less than half the price of the cruise ship's excursion. However, we had to buy a $15 shuttle (round trip) from the dock in Port Chalmers to/from Dunedin. But still, we came out way ahead, price wise by booking independently. If you book through Celebrity, you pick up the train right on the ship's dock in Port Chalmers, so definitely a convenience factor comes with the pricier option!

Good luck in your decision and enjoy this wonderful area of New Zealand.

I also suggest you post this same question on the Australia/New Zealand Port of Call board, where you will no doubt get a LOT more feedback than you've received here (even though it's all been good info). Here's a link...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77

I have only ever done Arthur's Pass by car, but I adore that stretch of NZ. For that reason I would recommend the Tranz Alpine.

In my opinion, Dunedin is one of the best NZ ports for saving some money and doing your own thing. It is, in my opinion, NZ's most beautiful city. Catch a taxi into the city centre and spend the day walking around. Visit the Railway Station, First Church, the centre of the Octagon, and The University. The buildings are beautiful. Also, if you have time, book yourself onto a Cadbury Chocolate Factory tour.

In saying this, if you have travelled extensively around Europe, the buildings may not be quite so exciting. If so, perhaps consider an Albatross or Penguin tour. The Otago coastline is quite lovely.

Trieri Gorge wins hands down as the better of the two.. Ships excursions on Trieri Gorge railway departs and arrives from the wharf where ship berths. On the return leg stops briefly at historic Dunedin railway station for guests to look around .

The Taieri Gorge train should be taken as it is - a heritage train. Some cars are a little more modern than others but they are mostly of wooden seat construction of yesteryear. Dont expect it to be of the luxury class.

We enjoyed the scenary.

IMO paying near on triple for the convenience of boarding at the ship is ludicrous. The question of being a ships tour does not apply as both ship and private trains use the same track running 20 minutes apart. Book privately, pay the small shuttle fee, spend some time in Dunedin on the return and catch the shuttle back to the ship. Proviso: If 2 ships in port, you cant do the private trip.

Cant comment on the Trans Alpine and will try that next time.

My wife and I will be cruising on the Solstice on 1/27/15 from Sydney to Auckland. Trying to decide between two different train excursions. One is the Taieri Gorge Train out of Dunedin and the other is the Tranzalpine train excursion out of Akaroa. If we did take the Tranzalpine excursion I would want to take that with the jet boat tour back instead of just the train by itself. Looking for opinions as to which train excursion would best for seeing the nicest and most diverse landscapes.

Here is a super strong endorsement and push for BOTH the Tranz Alpine rail and JetBoat adventure. Really wonderful!! See some of my proof and "evidence" as shown below with the pictures that I took during this trip. As noted in the live/blog below, we just got off of the Solstice last month. Check out these postings for more info/background on this nice ship, its entertainment, food options, lots of port/shore options, etc.

I would strongly urge you to consider the Celebrity Queenstown two-day, overnight excursion. Seeing that part of the super scenic South Island was really worth it. In doing this tour, we were not able to do or consider the Taieri Gorge train trip. But we saw this train equipment in the Dunedin train station when we visited this great building on the way back from Queenstown. Added questions? Just post on my live/blog. Happy to share more, be helpful. On our sailing this Tranz Alpine trip with the Jet Boat was booked up ahead. Need to line that up ahead of time, based our Solstice, early 2014 experiences.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Just 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 45,935 views for this fun posting.

Here is a picture from our New Zealand South Island JetBoat ride that my wife loved so much. Me, too!! 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. I showed my wife this picture (and several others like this but 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've had lots of great moments on this trip, but one was a unique and special ride in a location that is spectacularly world-class near the NZ Southern Alps. And, perfect weather with good friends adds to the great joy!!:

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. Below are three more visual samples from here and captured during our late January 2014 trip.:

Hi Terry,

Thank you for your response. I was reading your blog as you were sending it out a few months ago. Great pictures and information, I had forgotten that you took the Tranzalpine train and the jet boat. I wonder what they do about the jet boat part if it rains? Photography is my hobby as well, how easy was it to take pictures on the jet boat? My wife and I will have to talk about the possibility of staying overnight in Queenston.

We have previously sailed twice on the Celebrity Equinox and the Reflection so we are very familiar with the cruise lines and ship layout. This cruise on 1/27/15 will be our first to Australia and New Zealand and we can't wait to go. We will be flying into Melbourne and staying 3 nights, plan to see 12 Apostles and Phillip Island Penguin tours. Next we will fly Sydney and spend 2 nights before the cruise leaves. In Sydney we plan on just seeing as much of the city as possible.

We plan on spending 2 nights in Auckland after the cruise, want to see the city and go out to Waiheke Island.

Have done both the Taieri Gorge and the Tranzalpine, and IMHO, while we enjoyed both, the Tranzalpine is much more interesting. There is some fantastic scenery en route. The Arthur's Pass area is one of my favourite parts of our country. The jet boat trip is pretty good too. When in Dunedin we love to go out on the Peninsula - there is great wildlife spotting to be had, if you are into that.

Enjoy your trip!

Have done both the Taieri Gorge and the Tranzalpine, and IMHO, while we enjoyed both, the Tranzalpine is much more interesting. There is some fantastic scenery en route. The Arthur's Pass area is one of my favourite parts of our country. The jet boat trip is pretty good too. When in Dunedin we love to go out on the Peninsula - there is great wildlife spotting to be had, if you are into that.

Enjoy your trip!

We have booked with Elm Wildlife in Dunedin that includes the Albatross centre. http://www.elmwildlifetours.co.nz

I'm hoping for the Tranzalpine Train --does anyone know if Princess offers that excursion?

Yes Princess offers both Trieri Gorge railway out of Dunedin, and Tranz Alpine out of Akaroa .

NB: You cannot do normal Tranz Alpine independently as regular train gets back after ship has sailed.

You can only do it as ships excursion . Half pax go by coach firstly to Wellington and Canterbury Plains, lunch up to Arthurs Pass and return is by special charter Tranz Alpine train . Other half pax do reverse train out and coach back .

Yes Princess offers both Trieri Gorge railway out of Dunedin, and Tranz Alpine out of Akaroa .

 

NB: You cannot do normal Tranz Alpine independently as regular train gets back after ship has sailed.

 

You can only do it as ships excursion . Half pax go by coach firstly to Wellington and Canterbury Plains, lunch up to Arthurs Pass and return is by special charter Tranz Alpine train . Other half pax do reverse train out and coach back .

Thanks for the info.

Is their any advantage to either of excursion options?

Hi Terry, Thank you for your response. I was reading your blog as you were sending it out a few months ago. Great pictures and information, I had forgotten that you took the Tranzalpine train and the jet boat. I wonder what they do about the jet boat part if it rains? Photography is my hobby as well, how easy was it to take pictures on the jet boat? My wife and I will have to talk about the possibility of staying overnight in Queenston. We have previously sailed twice on the Celebrity Equinox and the Reflection so we are very familiar with the cruise lines and ship layout. This cruise on 1/27/15 will be our first to Australia and New Zealand and we can't wait to go. We will be flying into Melbourne and staying 3 nights, plan to see 12 Apostles and Phillip Island Penguin tours. Next we will fly Sydney and spend 2 nights before the cruise leaves. In Sydney we plan on just seeing as much of the city as possible. We plan on spending 2 nights in Auckland after the cruise, want to see the city and go out to Waiheke Island.

Appreciate your added comments and questions. Good details, options and interests for your upcoming trip/adventure. For the JetBoat, my recall is that it goes regardless of the weather. In that part of New Zealand, rain level are not that high (unlike at Milford Sound with its 23 feet or so of rain on a yearly basis). For me, taking pictures on that fast river ride worked out super as I was sitting right behind the pilot and there was not much splash there. Having a good camera with fast, multiple shot capabilities was very important, too.

Your pre- and post-cruise options sound great. I assume you saw all of the details for what we did and so loved on Waiheke Island. Let me know any other questions, needs. I'll see and respond quicker by doing on the live/blog thread on the Celebrity board. Just link below to it.

Here are a few more visuals to share from that Tranz Alpine and JetBoat experience. Keep working on the Queenstown overnight potential. Super fun!!

For this thrilling jet-boat ride, it does get your heart pumping. That high-speed "rocket boat" goes down the Waimakiriri River. We had a great lunch next to the river before doing the boat ride.

In Māori, Waimakariri has several meanings, one of which is "river of cold rushing water". The river rises on the eastern flanks of the Southern Alps, eight kilometres southwest of Arthur's Pass. As the river approaches the Canterbury Plains, it passes through a belt of mountains, and is forced into a narrow canyon (the Waimakariri Gorge), before reverting to its braided form for its passage across the plains. It finally enters the Pacific north of Christchurch. From

http://www.jetthrills.com

http://www.alpinejet.co.nz

there is more info on these jet boats, the area, visuals, etc. They note in the promotion info: "skim the shallows, spin in your own length, feel the power of our Hamilton Jets"!! True?? Absolutely and more.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Just 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 47,748 views for this fun posting.

Here is a few more of the small sampling of my pictures from the about 150 visuals that I shot while doing the JetBoat adventure at the river location near Christchurch. This picture shows just one example of the THRILLS during 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. Greg's sense of humor was wonderful!! 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?:

When pilot Greg put his hand up, as shown here, he was doing a twirling, rotating sign to warn us. It's 360 degree time and the need for us to be bracing as he would be doing a full-circle, high-speed spin in the middle of the river. WOW!! Times ten. Maybe even better. These were so fast and such fun!!:

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 are two visual samples for some of what we saw and enjoyed along this route as we moved from the initial, flatter Canterbury Plains in moving towards the dramatic scenes in and around these Southern Alps of NZ's South Island. Notice one of the many tunnels needed to make this rail route to the western coast work? Not an easy route to engineer, build and maintain.:

Terry: Hey neighbor! Thanks so much for continuing to post such great pictures and such great literary detail of your trip. I still need to go back and re-read your whole blog. So many things to see and do! We still have so much planning to do! There will be 4 of us traveling together.

Terry: Hey neighbor! Thanks so much for continuing to post such great pictures and such great literary detail of your trip. I still need to go back and re-read your whole blog. So many things to see and do! We still have so much planning to do! There will be 4 of us traveling together.

Appreciate, Debbie, your follow-up and kind comments. Especially from an Ohio "neighbor"!! You have done lots of cruises and travel, but mostly in he Carib, right? There are special challenges and huge opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. So different than the Carib and most of what you have done in the past.

Refresh my memory!! What are you and those in your party most seeking, liking, needing? What's most exciting and unique for you? How do you balance countrysides vs. cities? Museums, history, food, wine, art, music, shopping, architecture, culture, etc.? How much of it in a leisurely style versus fast-paced? Tell us more!!

Any way you can expand your amount of time for pre- and post-cruise exploring there? The ship is great, but some of our best thrills and loves were options beyond just the cruise's port stops.

Keep it coming! Happy to share more, answer added questions?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 138,316 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

We did the Taieri Gorge train just last month while aboard Solstice. Although we enjoyed the day very much, I can't argue with the comments made by Kartgv. We, too, are "train people" and have experienced nicer in other places. We have not done the Tranz Alpine, so I can't offer a comparison.

 

If you do decide to take the Taieri Gorge train, realize you have the option of booking directly through the cruise line -or- independently. We booked direct with Taieri for a little less than half the price of the cruise ship's excursion. However, we had to buy a $15 shuttle (round trip) from the dock in Port Chalmers to/from Dunedin. But still, we came out way ahead, price wise by booking independently. If you book through Celebrity, you pick up the train right on the ship's dock in Port Chalmers, so definitely a convenience factor comes with the pricier option!

 

Good luck in your decision and enjoy this wonderful area of New Zealand.

 

I also suggest you post this same question on the Australia/New Zealand Port of Call board, where you will no doubt get a LOT more feedback than you've received here (even though it's all been good info). Here's a link...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77

We also did this train tour independently, and it was awesome! I have a blog with pictures of this train trip...feel free to visit

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/

We also did this train tour independently, and it was awesome! I have a blog with pictures of this train trip...feel free to visit

 

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/

I would love to do this tour independently, but we don't arrive in Dunedin until 9:00AM, and the train leaves the train station at 9:30AM. It is 20 minutes from the dock. I don't think 10 minutes leaway is enough time for any type of delays or traffic. I think we may be forced to purchase our tickets from Celebrity. I would hate to arrange for a private car to the station, and miss the train. :eek: Not what I would like to do, but sometimes we need to bite the bullet!

Great photos , Teri.

We sail Solstice from Auckland to Perth on Feb 8, 2015.

Just beginning to research excursions.

We stop at Akaroa from 8-6 then Dunedin from 7-5

Would you please send me the names of companies you used for the excursions?

jes6249@comcast.net

janines

Great photos , Teri. We sail Solstice from Auckland to Perth on Feb 8, 2015. Just beginning to research excursions.

We stop at Akaroa from 8-6 then Dunedin from 7-5. Would you please send me the names of companies you used for the excursions?

jes6249@comcast.net

janines

Yes, will try to get that done by the end of this upcoming week. Am finishing my IRS tax filings today, plus a number of work projects, etc. Plus, nice weather outside. If you don't hear from me by late week, just post on my live/blog to remind me, help me get it "done". Appreciate your interest and good questions. You'll have a great trip in these wonderful areas.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Just 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 52,145 views for this fun posting.