Question regarding Christchurch - Arthur's Pass - Greymouth crossing | New Zealand - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:27:59 +0000

I'm currently planning to ride the bus from Christchurch to Greymouth and then take the train back in the afternoon. This is based on advice I've read here on FT and on other sites, since the bus ride ride will show you things that you can't se from the train and vice versa. Someone also wrote that the train ride from Greymouth to Christchurch offers better views than going the other way.

My question is if you think I should do the whole trip Christchurch-Greymouth-Christchurch or if I should do Christchurch-Arthur's Pass (AP) on the bus, get off and walk around the area for a couple of hours and then take the train back to Christchurch in the afternoon?
It seems like most of the beautiful views are between Christchurch and AP and AP itself is nice, so maybe I should skip the AP-Greymouth-AP trip?

ONLINE

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:21:42 +0000

While the road and railway line do diverge somewhat, the landscape is similar, whether you take the bus or train, you just get to look at it from a different angle. Do it if it is not a major hassle, but going both ways on the train is still a worthwhile journey.

Unless you have a particular interest in Arthur's Pass, can I suggest going a little further - the Otira Gorge is on the Western side, and gives a different perspective. A very pleasant journey can be had to a town called Moana, which is on the bank of Lake Brunner. It offers a cafe, a pub and a nice relaxing vista, which you get to enjoy for 2-3 hours.

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ONLINE

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:57:25 +0000

Actually, I enjoyed the scenery between AP and Greymouth as much or more than the scenery Christchurch-AP. I've put photos taken from the train at [URL]www.seat61.com/TranzAlpine.htm[/URL] which may help you decide.

The decision is really whether youd enjoy walking for a few hours at AP more than the remaining train ride. Greymouth itself isn't that exciting!

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