PictonNZWaitohi · Marlborough Sounds
A Coastal Pacific train crossing a street in Picton

Train

The Coastal Pacific train

Great Journeys New Zealand's scenic train between Christchurch and Picton, via Kaikōura and Blenheim. It is seasonal, so check the dates before you plan around it.

Photo: Matthew25187 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Published

Route and pattern

The Coastal Pacific runs between Christchurch and Picton, stopping at Kaikōura and Blenheim, as a one-day journey. Great Journeys New Zealand (part of KiwiRail) runs it northbound from Christchurch in the morning and southbound from Picton in the afternoon, timed to connect with the Interislander ferry.

In Picton the train uses the station on Auckland Street, beside the Interislander passenger terminal.

Cream and red-roofed railway station building beside a road
Picton railway station building on Auckland Street, February 2017. Ulrich Lange, Bochum, Germany / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The interior of a Coastal Pacific carriage, seats and large windows
Inside the Coastal Pacific, which runs between Picton and Christchurch. Daderot / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

When it runs

Seasonal, not year-round. Great Journeys New Zealand's own pages did not state 2026–27 dates when we checked; a rail booking agent lists 1 Sep 2026 – 30 Apr 2027, daily except Christmas Day, marked 'to be confirmed'. Confirm on the official timetable.

Times are on the official timetable page or by phone on Great Journeys’ automated line, 0800 872 467. We do not copy the timetable here because it changes.

Planning around it

  • Arriving on the afternoon ferry and heading south? The southbound train leaves Picton in the afternoon; check the exact departure against your sailing.
  • Out of season, InterCity coaches cover the same towns: Kaikōura 2 h 10 min and Christchurch 5 h 15 min from Picton on InterCity’s timetable. Bus and coach →
  • The train also works as a day out from Picton to Blenheim or Kaikōura; see a rainy day in Picton.

Sources