Search for "Paris" or "Colosseum"

$USD

Help

Bookings

Account

Book online or call: (888) 651-9785

Are you interested in?

Arthur's Pass National Park Tours

13 Tours & Activities

Rail Tours

9 Tours & Activities

Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises

150 Tours & Activities

Arthur's Pass Full-Day Tour Includes TranzAlpine Express Train from Christchurch

Name: Arthur's Pass Full-Day Tour Includes TranzAlpine Express Train from Christchurch
Brand: Leisure Tours
SKU: 2950P53
Price: 249.06 USD
Rating: 4.5 (56 reviews)

Christchurch, New Zealand

From US$249,06

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation

Free cancellation before 29 January.

Christchurch Tours

All Christchurch Tours

Seasonal & Special Occasions

Tickets & Passes

Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises

Travel & Transportation Services

Unique Experiences

Attractions

Things to do in Christchurch TranzAlpine Train Tours & Tickets International Antarctic Centre Tours & Tickets Christchurch Botanic Gardens Tours & Tickets Christchurch Tram Tours & Tickets Lake Tekapo Tours & Tickets Torlesse Wines Tours & Tickets Akaroa Harbour Tours & Tickets

Recommendations

All Recommendations How to Spend 1 Day in Christchurch How to Spend 3 Days in Christchurch How to Spend 2 Days in Christchurch Akaroa Tours from Christchurch Ways to Experience Maori Culture in Christchurch Mt. Cook Tours from Christchurch

Nearby

South Island

9 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Hotel pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Good for avoiding crowds

Overview

Explore the Canterbury Plains and Southern Alps on this Arthur’s Pass day tour from Christchurch. Travel through the pastureland of the Canterbury Plains to Springfield with your guide. Hop aboard your TranzAlpine train and journey through the Waimakariri Gorge. Explore the alpine village of Arthur’s Pass in the Otira Gorge and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Visit a sheep farm, and admire native birdlife in the foothills of the Southern Alps. Upgrade to include a hair-raising jet-boat ride on the mighty Waimakariri River!

Journey on the TranzAlpine express train
Enjoy lunch and afternoon tea
Experience the thrill of a jet-boat ride (if upgrade selected)
Hotel pickup and drop-off by coach included

What's Included

Tranz Alpine train journey
Jet boat ride (if option chosen)
Lunch (if option chosen)
Afternoon tea
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Air-conditioned vehicle

Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We pickup from most Hotels, Motels & Backpackers in Christchurch Some Air BnBs if central city

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Infants must sit on laps
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 7 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 7 full days before the experience’s start time.
Any changes made less than 6 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
For a 50% refund, you must cancel 3–6 full days before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4,5

56 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 56 reviews

Great time in Aurthers Pass

Timothy_M, Jan 2023

Graham was a great guide, showed us all the best scenery stops and stopped at the sheep farm for a steering demonstration, sheep dog was amazing.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Kia ora. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review it's very much appreciated. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed your tour and that Graham gave you a great day out.

Tiring day! But lots to do and see.☺️

Steve_L, Jan 2023

The train trip itself was lovely. The Jet boat was enjoyable. Unfortunately as far as value for money goes, it did not reach our expectations. Would only have done the alpine train trip if we were aware of what the other events were like. In saying that my wife enjoyed herself and that was my main goal as it was her Xmas Present.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review it's very much appreciated! I'm sorry that you felt you didn't get value for money but equally happy that your wife enjoyed the excursion. The tour description states exactly what is entailed in the tour so I'm not sure what more we could have done here.

Not to be missed

cynthia_u, Jan 2023

the train ride is superb. the seats are quite comfortable and commentary is very informative. the tour leader Jud was also very good. the sheep station was also informative and the sheep dog Ned did a quite impressive job with the sheep. Toby Hill who is a world class shearer also was quite good. the tea and cookies hit the spot. the only issue was the van itself which had a tendency to stall at inappropriate locations but we made it

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review it's very much appreciated! You have written a great description that I'm sure will be helpful to others. Jude was thrilled to hear you enjoyed her service. As for the van, unfortunately sometimes mechanical issues occur, never when your near a mechanic! The issue was resolved after the vehicle returned to depot.

Kea Sighting.

Elaine_P, Dec 2022

We had a great rapport with small group and our great tour guide Scotty. Beautiful mountain scenery!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Elaine. Scotty will be thrilled to hear you enjoyed the day and I will certainly pass on your kind words.

A Great tour

Wenruo_M, Dec 2022

The tour is great Everything is well arranged No regrets Worth the money Better than we thought the guide is very knowledgeable

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. We are delighted that you found value for money and that our guide looked after you. Enjoy the rest of your holiday

Nice full day Arthur's Pass tour

Rajiv_P, Dec 2022

Nice full day tour from Christchurch. Tour operator picked us up on time from our Christchurch hotel. Tranz Alpine Express train ride (about 2 hours) is very scenic. Good snacks and drinks are available on the train for purchase. Tasty lunch and desserts were provided. Tour operator explained well during the whole tour and answered questions.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! Your description of the day will help other travellers and we are glad that you are happy with the service provided by our fantastic staff.

Excellent Day Trip

Bill_D, Nov 2022

An excellent trip, with a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide (Scotty). I highly recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! Scotty will be thrilled to hear you enjoyed the day.

A A great day!

Alexandre_N, Nov 2022

Perfectly on time pickup, plenty of time to take pictures, a very well spent day! The guide was very likeable and gave a few explanations and trivia along the way about the countryside and gave very precise instructions for the train. We were able to enjoy the observation cart, so I will have to take another day off to sort the pics 😂. The lunch was perfectly adequate and didn't took too long. The road to the jet boat was beautiful and surprisingly different from the experience of the train. A testament to the richness of Canterbury! The jet boat was a LOT of fun. I was grinning from start to finish! Observing the sheep herding and shearing with the explainations of such a seasoned professional was really nice. I should probably remove one star due to a major mistake by the organizers, which went without consequences. They forgot to book the sheep herding/shearing tour... Luckily they were home and agreed to give us the tour, but it could have ruined this perfect day.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, we are thrilled that you enjoyed your day. I will pass on your kind words to our guides and tour partners.

The understated Arthurs Pass tour

Lynda_H, Aug 2022

The organisation and professionalism of this tour was excellent, and we had a wonderful time. Not as criticism but constructive feedback it would have been better with longer on the train.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Lynda Thank you for the feedback and it is great to learn that you enjoyed the tour and had a wonderful time. Unfortunately there is not much we can do about the length of the rail journey. I do hope you have the opportunity to travel with us again on some future occasion.

Amazing Family memories

Anthony_G, Jan 2022

The scenery was amazing. Our host Graham was very knowledgeable and friendly and looked after us well.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Thank you for your review which is important to us to ensure we meet and where possible exceed our customer's expectations. Great to hear that you enjoyed your tour and that Graham a good representive if the business. I do hope you have the opportunity to visit this part of the country again soon.

Great views and nice jet boat ride

Lawrence_L, Dec 2020

The views and the jet boat were the highlights.. The Train ride was just average. The shuttle ride took us to some nice overlooks. Did not see as many birds as we hoped.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Thank for taking the time to submit your review. Great to hear that you thought the jet boating was the highlight.

A must see!

Leslie_J, Feb 2020

Scotty was an excellent and enthusiastic guide with lots of local knowledge and recommendations for how to get the most out of your time in Christchurch. We had a jam-packed day that exceeded our expectations. Even though the train ran late it was a wonderful day and Scotty was very attentive to everyone despite the fact that he worked overtime. Would totally recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thanks for the great review and recommendation, Leslie! Scotty is one of our most popular driver/guides and he often gets a lot of great reviews thanks to his charisma, going-the-extra-mile approach, and expert knowledge of this area of New Zealand. It's a shame to hear the train was a little late, which doesn't happen often, but I'm glad that Scotty certainly made up for this slight delay and I'll be sure to pass on your kind words when I next speak to him! Thanks again and I hope you get to visit Christchurch and Arthur's Pass again soon!

Arhtur's Pass and so much more!

Rajesh_H, Jan 2020

This tour has a number of things packed in it - A farm tour with morning tea, jet boating, lunch at an iconic restaurant and finally great views and majestic waterfalls of Arthur's pass with TranzAlpine train. We loved every bit of this tour and highly recommend it.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thanks for the awesome review! Our Arthur's Pass tour explores a beautiful part of the South Island of NZ and, as you mentioned, is packed full of great activities including a TranzAlpine Train and sheep farm visit, as well as lunch and a fun jet boat ride (if option is selected). I'm pleased you enjoyed so many aspects of this tour and thanks for the recommendation! I hope you get to explore this incredible part of the country again soon!

Cat on the wall

Harikrishna_S, Jan 2020

The tour is good but the train journey is only ended for an hour which is really disappointing. Also our tour guide (Graham) was bery much interested in explaining the driving rules in new zealand instead if telling about the places that the tour was stopped. Also felt bit discriminated as the guide was interested in giving information only to two members from the states and rest of us(from asia) felt really awkward. Also he was going on and on talking about NZ roads and some sad jokes which was really not interesting. Totally felt like over paid for this tour. I could have done a retyrn train trip that could be far better than this. Even for writing reviews he just gave the trip advisior visiting card only to the people from states. Disappointed!!!! On top of all i got a sour back because of the seats in van.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for taking the time to submit this review. It is disappointing to learn that you did not consider the train journey long enough and that the driver appeared to give priority to his American customers over you and your travelling companion. With regard to the train journey the sector that you travelled is by far the most spectacular and after Arthurs Pass the train goes into a tunnel through the mountains to the West Coast and on leaving the tunnel the scenery is nowhere as impressive. Also by just doing this sector of the train journey it allows us to include all of the other activities and sightseeing in the day. With regard to your comments relating to the driver he has been spoken with and sincerely apologises if he treated you any differently from any other customers on the day. This was never his attention and he was truly shocked and horrified that you thought that he had. You will see from all of the other excellent reviews of this product that the way the day is organised and the level of service provided that this product has until now had nothing but great reviews.

Rob was an excellent tour guide

Tina_H, Nov 2019

I didn't get to do the Arthur pass tour however I did the whale tour and that was great. Rob is so helpful with his knowledge and went beyond his job to ensure we are comfortable and enjoy our trip. Thanks Rob, Tina

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thank you for the great review of your Kaikoura Whale Watch tour. It's unfortunate that you weren't able to do the Arthurs Pass Tour on that particular day, but we will always look for an alternative tour if minimum numbers are not met for your desired dates, and it looks like your alternative tour turned out to be a great day out anyway. It's also awesome to hear you had such a nice time with your driver/guide Rob. I have passed on your kind words to him and he is really pleased. Thanks again for the review and I hope you get to visit Christchurch again soon.

arthurs pass

Vacation75829, Oct 2019

What a wonderful day packed so much into the day the bus the mountains the train the farm the jet boat and I am sure I am leaving so much out the people on the tour were great and our tour guide was wonderful could not possibly have asked for anything more highly recommened for all ages

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Thank you for the great review! We're really glad you had such a nice day with us on your day tour to Arthurs Pass. There certainly is a lot packed into that day, from the TranzAlpine train from Springfield to Arthurs Pass, to the following Jet Boat ride and Farm Tour in the afternoon. We feel it's one of the most comprehensive experiences of that area of New Zealand. And rain or sunshine, it's such a beautiful slice of the country to visit. Thanks again for the glowing review and recommendation. We hope you visit NZ again at some point in the future!

Pleasant trip but less attractive for kids,

Mulyo_S, Aug 2019

Our tour guide was very nice, he tried really hard to please our kids. But this trip is more enjoyable for adults..

Response from Host, Aug 2019

Thanks for the review! I am pleased you enjoyed yourself on your Arthurs Pass Day Tour. I'm sorry to hear your kids had less fun. With regard to this tour being more orientated towards adults, there is some truth that many of the activities such as guided tour through the alps, train journey, etc, would be more suitable for adults. With that said, we have had many children join this tour and have really enjoyed the jet boating option and sheep farm part of the tour - as both can be really entertaining. Any way, it is nice to hear that your guide did a good job in keeping them entertained. I'll be sure to pass on your nice comments. Thanks again for the review and I hope you get to visit NZ again some time soon!

Worth it.

Mardy F, Dec 2018

The jet boat was my husband’s favorite experience and the sheep farm was mine. We both enjoyed the train but it was rainy so we couldn’t see much. Still worth it.

Enjoyable

Minh_N, Jun 2018

Excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and accommodating. Magnificent view! Would recommend more child friendly activities though. Examples could be feeding animals, or learning how to make hand-made things from sheep fur?

Our driver was friendly and very...

Gail M, Mar 2018

Our driver was friendly and very knowledgeable about the Christchurch area. We didn't realize we got on the train several kilometers outside of town and were shoveled in like stowaways. The train ride was peaceful however and the scenery breathtaking even in the rain. Fortunately by the time we got to the jet boat rides the sun had come out and the experience was wild--for young and old alike. Everyone left with huge smiles. The sheep farm demonstration was hosted by the most lovely couple who made us feel so welcome and at home. A close up demo of a sheepdog at work is always worth seeing, and I think the owner sheared his sheep in about three minutes flat...so cool. Another great day--thank you Viator for pointing us in the right direction.