THE WHALE TRAIN

The Whale Train journeys between the small port town of Picton, known as “the gateway” to the South Island, and the mainland’s hub, Christchurch. Your heritage train is powered by the famous WW1 Memorial “Passchendaele” Steam Locomotive between Picton-Kaikoura and then powered by our retro, red and white, 1950’s classic DA locomotive between Kaikoura-Christchurch.

The departure from Picton commences with one of the steepest climbs in New Zealand, the Picton elevation, then across the Para Wetlands into the Wairau Valley, through the heart of the Marlborough Winelands, up the Dashwood Pass, bursting out to the Awatere Valley, across the historic railroad bridge to Seddon, for a steam locomotive water stop.

The landscapes open up to greet the Pacific coastline for the journey to Kaikoura, a town acclaimed for its abundant marine wildlife, famed resident sperm whale population and dramatic mountain backdrops. Towering over Kaikoura, the ‘Guardians of the Seas’ - the mountains of the Southern Alps, rise majestically from the deep trenches of the Southern Ocean with the railway line wedged in between, before turning inland via the vast Canterbury Plains towards the main South Island City of Christchurch.