
CHRISTCHURCH • KAIKŌURA
THE WHALE TRAIN
Christchurch - Kaikōura - Christchurch
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A truly moving heritage train journey of postcard perfect landscapes
and rugged coastal beauty where the mountains rise to greet the sea.





The Whale Train journeys between the mainland’s hub, Christchurch and the truly spectacular coastal town of Kaikōura. Your heritage train is powered by our retro, red and white, 1950’s classic DA locomotive.
Heading north out of Christchurch into the expansive Canterbury Plains, the landscapes then open up to greet the Pacific coastline for the journey to Kaikōura, a town acclaimed for its abundant marine wildlife, famed resident sperm whale population and dramatic mountain backdrops. Towering over Kaikōura, 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.