Nice Journeys New Zealand’s Spectacular South Signature

It appears even Kiwis (aka New Zealanders) don’t notice the breadth and brilliance of their very own luxurious prepare community.

“After I inform individuals what I do, many, particularly within the [more populous] North Island, say ‘Oh, we’ve got trains in New Zealand?’” says Nice Journeys New Zealand tour information Ben Burns. “I say, sure. Superb ones truly.”

On the map, New Zealand’s slender and lesser-populated South Island, in regards to the dimension of Illinois, appears like a cinch to navigate. But the weather that entice so many vacationers—wild native forests, an Alpine mountain vary, and sheep-peppered fields—make getting from level A to B a distinctly slow-motion affair.

Till not too long ago, driving an RV or rental automotive was the unequalled strategy to discover the South Island. Nevertheless, in 2023, Nice Journeys New Zealand started its Spectacular South Signature tour, combining two of the nation’s finest rail journeys—the Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine. The itinerary carves its means from the nation’s most lauded wine area to its unofficial alpine capital.

The 11-day tour is aimed toward individuals who choose “hand-held” luxurious with loads of day excursions included and the flexibility to discover some locations at your personal tempo. The rail sections of Spectacular South Signature are spent within the top-tier Scenic Plus class, however observe that extra time is spent on different types of transport, together with a private-coach highway journey down the South Island’s wild, train-less West Coast.

Why take this tour as an alternative of driving? You’ll be able to eat, drink, and browse a ebook whereas sightseeing by means of generally otherwise-inaccessible areas with no worries about discovering gasoline or lodging. Alternatively, remember that your time at every cease shall be restricted by the prepare’s schedule. So, if you wish to hike a few of New Zealand’s extraordinary strolling tracks or nerd out at a Lord of the Rings filming location, plan in additional time earlier than/afterwards.

This is what you must learn about Nice Journeys New Zealand’s Spectacular South Signature prepare trip.

Pre-train Journey

Paradoxically, the Spectacular South Signature begins on the North Island’s southern tip, within the nationwide capital metropolis, Wellington. Subsequent morning, within the child-free Premium Lounge of the morning’s first Interislander ferry, I breakfast on poached eggs and a glass of spirit-reviving Ata Rangi Rosé Brut 2023. The ship navigates throughout Prepare dinner Strait into Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui, the easternmost of the Marlborough Sounds, the place the dark-blue Pacific Ocean meets the light-green waters of the Tasman Sea.

We disembark on the charming small city of Picton, alongside cattle and sheep vehicles aplenty, straight onto a three-winery, small-bus tour of Marlborough (an appellation recognized for labels like Cloudy Bay), the primary of two excursions earlier than we board the Coastal Pacific prepare. That night, I amble across the serene streets and inexperienced areas of New Zealand’s de facto wine capital of Blenheim. Subsequent morning, a water taxi beelines again into mesmerising Marlborough Sounds, with its pine-tree-lined river valleys which account for round 20 % of New Zealand’s shoreline.

Subsequent, we headed to Arapawa Blue Pearls. On the best way, we handed remoted “batches” (vacation cottages) and salmon farms being stalked by fur seals, earlier than touchdown on the homestead of Mike and Antonia Radon, positioned on the ridiculously inexperienced shores of distant Arapaoa Island. The previous sea urchin divers function considered one of New Zealand’s final pāua (native abalone) hatcheries. Extracting a preseeded pearl from the delicate seaweed-fed pāua is “like opening a field of goodies,” says Antonia. “We don’t know what we’ll get”. A style of the butter-and-garlic-fried calamari-like meat is a culinary spotlight for me (if not for others).

The On-board Expertise

The Kiwi Rail-operated Coastal Pacific prepare rolls south alongside the east coast to Christchurch with an in a single day stopover through Kaikōura. Its “Manuhiri” carriages (launched in 2024) are emblazoned with symbolic Māori chook motifs.

“The entire carriage represents our journey,” says onboard supervisor Stacey Clark. “The chook swoops alongside the surface. Inside, the white-and-blue roof, the chook’s backbone [designed by Māori artist Ephraim Russell], represents the sky of Aotearoa [aka New Zealand]. The lit-up eyes on the wall shield us on our journey.”

Scenic Plus service begins with scorching towels distributed by employees who epitomize New Zealand’s casual, “laid-back” life philosophy. Seats are capacious and comfy however fastened into pods of 4–separated by a white-clothed desk—which means half the passengers face backwards. The semidome panoramic home windows let in views of the South Island’s agrarian panorama and the broad expanse of the Pacific Ocean. An open-sided viewing carriage engages the senses much more intensely—however maintain onto your hat tightly and pack a lightweight jacket.

Snow-covered peaks and the Pacific converge at Kaikōura, arguably New Zealand’s most postcard-worthy seaside city; it is touristy however nonetheless has a hamlet-like charisma. Deep, nutrient-rich ocean currents entice tons of sea life right here, finest seen from onboard the Dolphin Encounter cruise (included in the price of the prepare trip). Small dusky dolphins swarm the boat, driving its bow wave, whereas Hector’s dolphins, albatrosses, and humpback whales make cameos.

The prepare continues south to Christchurch, hugging the craggy coast. What to do in a free day within the South Island’s largest metropolis? After a sighting loop on the historic tram, observe your nostril across the inner-city, absorbing the slow-burn artsy vitality of a muralled cityscape nonetheless rebuilding from the 2011 earthquake (Quake Metropolis Museum recounts some harrowing tales). Observe the Avon River (the place you’ll be able to rent a gondola-like punt) by means of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, then lunch at Riverside Market’s myriad artisanal meals stalls. Search libations among the many bars of Spanish Mission-style New Regent Avenue.

The West Coast

From Christchurch, the TranzAlpine prepare climbs westward, up and over the Southern Alps, traversing massive viaducts which span roiling rivers. Based on Burns, traversing the panorama this fashion nearly looks like “dishonest,” cruising by means of such a steep, treacherous place, sipping a glass or two of white wine in hand. After cresting Arthur’s Go, the TranzAlpine chugs by means of quarter-hour of darkness by means of the century-old Otira Tunnel, coming out onto the West Coast (preserve your eyes peeled for the Otira Stagecoach Resort’s “roof Gollum”), the place the Taramakau River flows the “reverse means”, into the Tasman Sea.

At Greymouth, after disembarking for the final time, we board a leather-seat coach for the enchanting two-day highway journey to Queenstown. First cease, Hokitika, which is famed for its wealthy butter. That is the place our cultural information, Joe Mason, carried out a contemporary Māori welcome, acknowledging “the canoe that I travelled in right here a few years in the past, despite the fact that I drive a Toyota at the moment”. He explains the lore of the realm’s pounamu (aka greenstone), famend amongst Indigenous communities throughout New Zealand. A hike among the many 1,000-year-old Rimu bushes of Hokitika Gorge gives an unforgettable style of the glacial-blue rivers and native rainforest.

The West Coast (additionally affectionately referred to as the “Moist” Coast) is essentially the most wild and eccentric of New Zealand landscapes. We go to the fast-retreating Franz Josef glacier, then glimpse a kiwi in a darkish enclosure of the West Coast Wildlife Centre (it’s uncommon to see the weak flightless nocturnal birds within the wild). River-raising torrential rain cancels my Haast River Safari tour however concurrently breathes life into sky-tickling waterfalls as we cross Haast Go.

Near Queenstown, nice mountains are mirrored in nice glacial lakes like Wanaka and Hawea. The tour worth features a free day and two excursions on this quicksilver mountain city, together with a full-day bus and boat daytrip to maybe New Zealand’s most acquainted panorama, Milford Sound, deep contained in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fiordland Nationwide Park. Free-day Queenstown choices are as broad and action-packed as your health and checking account enable, from driving the Shotover Jet boat to an amazing alternative of mountaineering and biking alternatives.

Meals and Drink

Nice Journeys says that 95 % of produce utilized in its onboard breakfasts, mild lunches, and dinners is sourced from New Zealand, with half coming from “alongside the prepare hall” itself.

These easy, high quality elements assist root the prepare’s well-executed dishes to the land itself. A easy tart is elevated with creamy native feta and watercress of the Canterbury area, and is garnished with pine nuts from Blenheim. A butter custard pastry is topped with plums from the Otago area. The vegetarian dishes are on level, but it surely’s the slow-roast Canterbury lamb shoulder that melted into my gustatory reminiscence most lastingly.

Sourced largely from South Island areas, the exemplary onboard wine choice is balanced sufficient to cater to quite a lot of palates. My much-sipped favourite is the vivacious Melton Property Summer time Love Glowing Riesling. The tour’s vinous spotlight, nevertheless, is the Marlborough vineyard tour; a sauvignon blanc-focused area that solely actually took off within the Seventies, after a century of manufacturing vintages. A lunch of Marlborough Sound gurnard fish paired with a tank-aged 2025 Sauvignon Blanc within the Tuscany-esque courtyard restaurant of Allan Scott Wines served as an indelible snapshot of New Zealand indulgence.

Free days are like a culinary treasure hunt, too, as you hunt down New Zealand’s finest small-town fish and chips (for me, Coopers Catch in Kaikōura) and winnow down Queenstown’s in depth and chic meals choices, be it takeaway on the cultishly fashionable Fergburger or a languid night at Ayrburn, the resort city’s latest “meals and wine neighborhood.”

The Accommodations

There are seven upscale resorts included on the 11-day itinerary, starting with InterContinental Wellington. Excessive-end choices for group excursions in small-town New Zealand will be restricted, however there are not any unhealthy apples on this lodging bunch. Tastes in décor and design apart, all of the resorts are freshly introduced, typically near the motion, with inviting beds and glossy loos stocked with native facilities.

Legacy Te Waonui Franz Josef is my stand-out keep, for its low-lit, understated magnificence and rest-a-while atmosphere. The recycled-timber exterior lodge has a suave, low-key presence, nestling fairly subtly in great West Coast bushland. Interiors replete with pure fibers, from woolen carpets to possum pores and skin cushions, are tactile and welcoming. The bar’s stacked-stone, fireplace-facing leather-based couches are a tranquil, refined rainy-day area. (One remorse: didn’t get to take a look at the on-site spa).

The Central Resort Queenstown additionally deserves a point out, regardless of not fairly being as central because the title suggests. Hiding beneath a reasonably plain-Jane exterior are three color-themed ranges of playful rooms furnished with a pastiche of kitsch, respiration life into what in any other case might be darkish areas.

Easy methods to E book

Costs for the 11-day Spectacular South Signature tour begin at USD $6,979 (Wellington to Queenstown). That worth consists of lodging, some meals, onboard drinks, listed excursions, and the Interislander ferry. Nice Journeys New Zealand additionally operates the Northern Explorer, from Auckland to Wellington (North Island). To safe your reserving, go to Nice Journeys New Zealand’s web site.

For passengers with disabilities, remember that the Scenic Plus eating expertise doesn’t have a wheelchair accessible area, however can “accommodate passengers that may switch themselves from wheelchair to seat”. Some excursions are usually not wheelchair pleasant—examine related tour web sites for extra data and talk any particular wants with Nice Journeys New Zealand’s group forward of time for the perfect expertise. Moreover, all carriages are fitted with listening to gadgets.