← Christchurch Marathon·3 nights

The TranzAlpine and the West Coast

A train over the Southern Alps through Arthur's Pass to a coast of rainforest, stacked limestone and wild river mouths, with a flight home from Hokitika.

Duration3 nights
TransitTranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth, about 5 hours, then a hire car
DepartsChristchurch railway station (Addington)

After the Christchurch Marathon: The TranzAlpine and the West Coast

The Route: Christchurch → Arthur's Pass → Greymouth → Punakaiki → Hokitika → Christchurch Logistics: TranzAlpine train to Greymouth, hire car on the West Coast, flight from Hokitika to Christchurch. Marathon Month: April Duration: 3 nights

Christchurch ──(approx. 5 hrs TranzAlpine, via Arthur's Pass)──> Greymouth ──(45 mins by car)──> Punakaiki
                                                                                                   │
                                                  Hokitika ◄──(approx. 1 hr 15 mins by car)─────────┘
                                                     │
       Christchurch Airport (CHC) ◄──(approx. 40 mins flight from Hokitika, HKK)

The Christchurch Marathon finishes in North Hagley Park in mid-April, and the TranzAlpine leaves Christchurch every morning for the other side of the South Island. The journey crosses the island from one coast to the other and involves sitting down for five hours, which, on the Monday after a marathon, is close to perfect.

April on the West Coast is autumn. The coast is one of the wettest places in New Zealand in any season, with rain on many days, but April often brings settled spells, and the rainforest is green whatever the weather. Arthur's Pass may have early snow on the peaks. The sandflies are fewer than in summer but still present; pack repellent. Days are mild and evenings cool.

The TranzAlpine departs from Christchurch's railway station in Addington in the morning and reaches Greymouth in about five hours, crossing the Canterbury Plains, climbing through the gorges of the Waimakariri River and tunnelling under the Southern Alps at Arthur's Pass. Book ahead with Great Journeys New Zealand and check which days it runs in April. Pick up a hire car in Greymouth.

Night One: Greymouth or Arthur's Pass

Some travellers break the journey at Arthur's Pass, a small alpine village in the national park of the same name, 737 m up in the mountains. The Devils Punchbowl waterfall walk is a steep climb of about an hour return, with many steps; on post-marathon legs, the short, flat walk around the village and the view of the peaks from the station platform are enough. Others ride through to Greymouth, the West Coast's largest town, and stay by the river mouth.

Night Two: Punakaiki

Punakaiki, 45 minutes north of Greymouth on a road squeezed between cliffs and the Tasman Sea, is known for the Pancake Rocks, limestone formations layered like stacks of pancakes by millions of years of pressure and erosion. At high tide, with a westerly swell, the sea surges through the rocks and bursts from blowholes. The Dolomite Point loop walk is about 1 km, sealed and mostly level, with a few steps, from the visitor centre across the road. Check the tide times and plan the visit around high tide.

Where to stay: Punakaiki Resort, on the beach a short walk from the rocks, has rooms facing the Tasman Sea, and the sunsets over the water on a clear evening.

Night Three: Hokitika

Hokitika, 1 hour 15 minutes south, was a gold-rush port in the 1860s and is now known for pounamu, New Zealand greenstone, carved in workshops along the main street. The beach is wide and grey, strewn with driftwood, and Sunset Point at the river mouth lives up to its name. The foreshore is flat.

Hokitika Gorge, 35 minutes inland, has water coloured an unreal turquoise by glacial rock flour. A 2 km return track of gravel and boardwalk, with a swing bridge, reaches the viewing platforms; it is gently graded, and three days after the race it should be manageable.

Where to stay: The Beachfront Hotel, on Hokitika's beach, puts the driftwood and the sunset outside the window.

Where to eat: Hokitika's main street has cafés and a few restaurants serving West Coast whitebait in season, usually from September to November, so it may not be on the menu in April. Fish and chips on the beach is the reliable option.

Getting Home

Hokitika Airport (HKK) has flights to Christchurch (CHC), about 40 minutes, connecting to international departures. Return the hire car at the airport; check one-way fees when booking in Greymouth. Alternatively, drive back to Greymouth for the TranzAlpine, or drive over Arthur's Pass to Christchurch in about 3 hours 30 minutes.