Must see sights from Coastal Pacific trains

Leaving the Canterbury Plains, the largest continuous area of flat in New Zealand, the journey will take you north. Crossing the Waiau River, you will travel on the 3rd longest rail bridge in New Zealand at 700m long. The view from the train leads upriver to the eastern reaches of the Spencer Mountains. Keep an eye out for fisherman, kayakers and occasional jet boats enjoying the river below.

If it's coastal views you're after, this is the part of the journey you have been waiting for! The train meets the Pacific Ocean at Claverley, the vast ocean to the east is a sight to behold. In fact, the nearest landmass to you at this point is Chile in South America - 9,000kms away! The train will follow the coastline tightly for the next 100kms. Keep looking out to sea during the journey; seals, pods of dolphins and whales can be seen close to shore. Kaikōura is, after all, New Zealand's aquatic wonderland.

Just south of Kaikōura you will begin to see the impact the earthquake had on the seaside village of Kaikōura. The first glimpse of the rebuild is the NCTIR village, specially constructed to house the 300 people who helped rebuild road and rail. Originally, a paddock, this area was transformed into a communal living space with bedroom units, kitchen, and recreation areas. In 2020, the land was returned to the landowner as the work has now been completed. 

A quick stop at Kaikōura station, time permitting, means you are able to depart the train - just remember to get back onboard when the whistle blows! You will have a short amount of time at Kaikōura station so it's the perfect opportunity to see a sculpture commissioned by KiwiRail to recognise the impact of the earthquake on the rail line. The sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Ben Foster sits to the right of the Kaikōura Whale Watch entrance.

Departing Kaikōura on a clear day gives views of the rugged Seaward Kaikōura Mountains towering above the coastline before plunging into the Pacific Ocean.

The next stretch of the journey really provides some insight into the amount of work that has been done to get the road and railing back up and running. Five of the most significant slips happened here. Take a look-up as you pass the area and see the aftermath of the dramatic slips that once covered road and rail.

Ohau Point was also the largest slip on the line, the remains of the slip can be seen clearly from the train, the sheer size of the debris was over 500,000m3. Ohau point was a major area of concern when the earthquake happened due to its resident seal colony. Thankfully, the coastline is still home to hundreds of seals, the colony is flourishing with many pups being born from November to January. If you look out to sea, you will be able to spot the seals camouflaged on the rocks, basking in the South Island sun.

The fault line is best viewed from the train, the line runs parallel to a new 2m rock wall where there once was the ocean. The earthquake forced rock up at a rate of 3km per second, the abrupt uplift is evident from the water lines on the rocks which were once under the high tide mark.

On a clear day, the peaks of the Inland Kaikōura ranges are a dramatic feature of the landscape.  The mountain range is home to the highest peak outside the Southern Alps, Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku, at 2285m high. Sir Edmund Hilary used this as his training ground before conquering Everest. Throughout his life, Sir Edmund Hilary remembered the first mountain he climbed in 1944, "Tappy" as he called it. 

Journey through valleys covered in lush green rows of vines. These are the vineyards of the Awatere Valley, the grapes here are harvested to make the famous Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. The Wither Hills in the north separate Awatere from the Wairau Valley which you will journey through before arriving in Blenheim. 

Some would claim New Zealand's wine industry began in Marlborough in the 1970s, in the Brancott Vineyard in the southern Wairau Valley. This was where the first Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in 1973. Wairau Valley has a slightly warmer, more sheltered climate than its neighbour, the Awatere Valley. As a result, the Sauvignon Blanc made here tends to taste a little more tropical, with hints of passionfruit and grapefruit rounding out the gooseberry and green pepper that typify Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Want a taste? Head to the licenced cafe onboard and order your Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc while enjoying the best views of the Marlborough landscapes from any seat on the train.

Over half the salt used in New Zealand is harvested at Lake Grassmere. Saltwater from the Pacific Ocean comes into the lake, gets pumped into shallow pools, and through a process called solar evaporation, the water slowly disappears, leaving behind salt. A phenomenal 70,000 tonnes of salt is extracted each year! You can see the pile of harvested salt from the train, this is used for food, stock, fertiliser etc. As the train cuts through the lake you may be lucky enough to see the water glisten with a pink tinge. This happens when there is high salinity in the ponds and can be quite a spectacle on a sunny day.