Take a read of LOCO Journeys blog for latest news, an interesting article, or just take a moment to read and dream of your next rail adventure. #liveloco
Date: 28th March 2026
Discover the best heritage railways New Zealand has to offer, from hidden branch lines and vintage tramways to unique rail cart adventures. This guide explores 12 lesser-known rail experiences across both islands, alongside iconic journeys like the TranzAlpine, helping you plan a richer and more rewarding New Zealand rail holiday.
Date: 17th March 2026
Travelling The Ghan from New Zealand is one of the most unforgettable rail adventures in the world. The iconic Ghan train journey travels nearly 3,000 kilometres between Adelaide and Darwin, crossing the heart of Australia’s spectacular outback.
In this guide, discover the best way to plan your Ghan journey, where to fly to, which way to travel, learn about The Ghan cabins, and find helpful tips for Kiwi travellers wanting to experience this legendary Australian train.
Date: 4th March 2026
Could The Ghan be the best train journey in the world? Travelling from Adelaide to Darwin, this iconic rail adventure crosses Australia’s vast Red Centre in all-inclusive comfort. With epic scenery, immersive excursions and refined onboard dining, The Ghan delivers a seamless blend of Outback adventure and luxury travel — a true bucket-list experience.
Date: 26th February 2026
Cross Australia in unforgettable style on an Indian Pacific train tour from Sydney to Perth. Travel coast to coast in all-inclusive comfort, enjoy regionally inspired dining, immersive Off-Train Experiences and ever-changing outback landscapes. This iconic rail journey is more than transport — it’s one of the world’s great travel adventures.
Date: 21st February 2026
Planning an Australian rail adventure?
Understanding the Best Time to Travel on the Ghan can shape your entire experience. From cool winter days in the Red Centre to dramatic summer skies in the Top End, each season offers something different. In this guide, we explore when to travel, what to expect throughout the year, and how to plan ahead to secure your preferred departure on one of Australia’s most iconic train journeys.
Date: 22nd January 2026
There are a host of exciting TranzAlpine tour destinations you can head to once you have completed your TranzAlpine train journey. Take a read for LOCO’s favourite dozen.
Date: 6th December 2025
For many travellers TranzAlpine train food is an important part of their day, particularly if you are enjoying a day return TranzAlpine train journey from Christchurch. Here are the details you need to know.
Date: 1st December 2025
A great many tourists have become ordinary tick-box robots travelling on auto-pilot, moving from one bucket list target to the next. The Ghan is not for them! This great Australian rail journey has to be one of the best examples of getting on the ground and travelling the land. Between Darwin and Adelaide precisely, this 2,979km train journey will allow you to see the middle of Australia unadorned.
Date: 4th November 2025
Much like Sir Edmund Hillary’s own pathway to the world’s peaks, this journey blends majesty, mastery and moments that stay with you long after the tracks end.
If you dream of dramatic alpine crossings, heritage steam railways, world-class fiords and warm kiwi hospitality, the Sir Edmund Hillary train tour is a grand voyage that effortlessly combines comfort and adventure.
Date: 31st October 2025
Few journeys capture the essence of New Zealand’s South Island quite like the Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer Tour, a rail and luxury coach adventure that journeys through the best of New Zealand’s distinctive scenery.
Designed for travellers and rail fans who want to see the very best of the South Island in comfort, this journey combines rail heritage, grand scenery, and the pioneering spirit of one of New Zealand’s most celebrated figures.
Date: 20th October 2025
If you’re searching for the ultimate South Island rail tour, look no further than the Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer Train Tour—a journey that combines New Zealand’s most iconic rail experiences with breathtaking landscapes, world-class activities, and premium accommodation.
Crafted for travellers who want more than just a train ride, this thoughtfully designed itinerary delivers a seamless loop of discovery through the spectacular South Island, blending comfort, heritage, and adventure into one unforgettable holiday.
Date: 17th October 2025
The Sir Edmund Hillary train journey isn’t just a scenic rail adventure, it’s a carefully crafted travel experience that connects you from your doorstep to the very best of New Zealand.
When you book with LOCO Journeys, you’re choosing a trusted, specialist team who turn complex travel arrangements into smooth, memorable holidays.
From the moment you enquire to the day you return home, you’ll experience a level of personal service that makes every step of your rail journey effortless.
Date: 10th October 2025
The Sir Edmund Hillary Explorer Rail Tour series has become one of New Zealand’s most celebrated and talked-about rail touring experiences, and for good reason.
Operating regular departures right throughout the year, this extraordinary rail and luxury coach journey showcases the majesty of the South Island in every season. Discover why the Sir Edmund Hillary train tours are so highly rated.
Date: 8th October 2025
Step aboard one of New Zealand’s most inspiring rail adventures with Sir Edmund Hillary Tours, a journey that showcases the country’s breathtaking landscapes and legendary spirit of exploration.
While the tour features many remarkable stops, we’ve hand-picked our 10 best destinations. Enjoy a collection of alpine wonders, coastal gems, and vibrant towns that truly capture the magic of New Zealand’s South Island.
Date: 19th July 2023
Any rail holiday to New Zealand would not be complete without visiting one of our famed New Zealand steam railways. New Zealand has a great number of heritage railways in both the north and south island that provide a glimpse into the country’s rich railway history.
Date: 19th March 2023
It’s north to south, east to west of ever-changing landscapes, culture and people. There are many ways to see Australia, but there’s only one way to do it with ease and in comfort. Here’s 10 iconic Australian rail journeys.
Date: 8th December 2022
Welcome to your complete guide to travelling on the TranzAlpine train New Zealand, the famous scenic train Christchurch to Greymouth. Take a read through LOCO Journeys all-inclusive overview to be inspired and plan for the best train journey New Zealand has to offer.
Date: 27th November 2021
What’s in a name? The TranzAlpine Train or Trans Alpine Train? Established as a tourist scenic journey since 1987, NZ’s premier rail journey enjoys fame across the world.
TranzAlpine Train or Trans Alpine Train, what do you prefer and does it really matter?
Date: 21st October 2021
The magic of NZ train holidays lives strong and is a great choice for any traveller wishing to journey the length and breadth of New Zealand. Read on to find our top 5.
Date: 20th September 2021
With a recorded history of near on 150 years, NZ rail tours have long been a part of New Zealand’s tourism landscape. In this article we aim to tell the story of how the idea of a New Zealand rail tour evolved and developed to what we know today.
Date: 6th September 2021
For an experience that is hard to repeat, the chance to travel on one of the scenic New Zealand rail journeys is an opportunity not to be missed.
Date: 1st December 2020
A half-day journey of such wonder like the TranzAlpine train should be enjoyed and savoured. To extend your experience, think about lengthening your Christchurch to Greymouth train trip by breaking your journey and enjoy a couple of the tremendous stops along the way.
Date: 4th November 2020
You will often find that man-made features such as viaducts spanning bottomless gorges can often only be fully appreciated standing some distance away watching from a viewing point.
The Raurimu Spiral, however, is best experienced on board the Northern Explorer train as you are placed right into the visionary mind of engineer Robert Holmes. Read more in our latest blog.
Date: 30th October 2020
LOCO Journeys is very proud to introduce The Railway Children initiative.
Our vision is to offer countless opportunities for children to enjoy an adventurous and memorable journey by rail.
Read our latest blog for more information about our initiative.
Date: 15th October 2020
In our latest blog, LOCO Journeys Rob Burnell recalls a trip on the Coastal Pacific – one part of an epic overland journey from Auckland to Christchurch.
Date: 14th September 2020
There are some incredible train trips to travel on around the world. Wonderful, scenic rail journeys of discovery. Check out 3 of the best.
A diary note says it all – “As good as it gets”. Living, enjoying and simply soaking in the moments. Yes, a railway journey can have this effect.
Date: 9th August 2020
We live in new times. When we founded LOCO Journeys, no one could have imagined the challenges the world faces today, and yet we’re certain there is hope for the future, particularly when travelling by train.
Date: 26th July 2020
New Zealand is blessed with countless great rail destinations open and ready for you to explore. In fact, there’s an overflowing bounty of places to stop and soak up the local vibe.
Here’s LOCO Journeys lowdown on 5 of the best that can be reached by train.
Date: 25th June 2020
In our latest blog LOCO Journeys intrepid track bashing rail-guru, David Burnell recalls a recent trip on the marvelous TranzAlpine rail journey.
“This is one of the great railway journeys of the world. And that isn’t a cliché.”
Date: 4th November 2018
With your future holiday choices in mind, LOCO Journeys has produced a short video introducing five of the best Australian rail trips you should consider enjoying.
Date: 19th June 2018
Most train journeys serve a functionary purpose and take you from A to B. Some are fast, some are slow. Some will traverse urban sprawl, others will take you through beautiful countryside. Then there are those great rail journeys that take their passengers to exotic landscapes and spirit you away to other worlds – ones in which glamour, elegance and the romance of rail’s golden age lives on. Here is 20 of the best.
Date: 19th May 2018
The chances are we can all name five, possibly ten popular rail journeys that have acquired global fame and that feature highly on personal must do lists. So here’s five that you possibly haven’t heard of and maybe one day would like to try.
Date: 28th February 2018
There is a mysterious appeal about The Ghan. Its reputation precedes it as a transcontinental rail trip of legendary status, a trip of a lifetime. But what is the journey really like as you disappear into Australia’s infamous outback, travelling from coast to coast. Read on for a deeper insight into what makes The Ghan the king of Australia train trips.
Date: 15th February 2018
As many of us bathed in the warm fuzzy glow of Valentines Day this week, the team at LOCO Journeys thought it appropriate to reflect on the fabled romance of rail and just why travelling by train is considered romantic.
Date: 20th June 2017
The Great Little Trains of Wales offer a jolly good day out – in fact, multiple good days out. LOCO Journeys has a number of Rail-Fan tours and Classic Journeys that take in some the premier Great Little Train of Wales. Find out more here.
Date: 28th May 2017
The Trans-Mongolian railway is about as epic as any rail journey gets. At over 6,000 kilometres and at least 6 days long, some would struggle to refer to it as a rail holiday but it certainly is one hell of a a rail adventure and absolutely an experience of a lifetime. Who’s got the bucket list? Tick!
Date: 9th March 2017
In our unparalleled modern times, you can reach most places in less than a day by high speed train. In days gone by, however, a night on a European sleeper train was an experience in itself. Travelling across Europe on a night train has fed many imaginative mind, including, of course Agatha Christie’s.
Date: 23rd February 2017
Rail travel is infinitely enjoyable, certainly romantic, and we’re sure that when travelling to one of our incredible worldwide destinations with LOCO Journeys you will have a terrific time. But as you gently lapse into the relaxing and agreeable monotony of listening to train wheels taking you ever closer to your destination, and whilst you gaze out and soak up the unlimited landscapes that sail past, just take a moment to acknowledge those that made your rail journey possible.
Date: 15th January 2017
Enjoy this short story as told by our resident rail guru, David Burnell recounting his trip aboard the legendary Swiss mountain rail journey, the Bernina Express.
Date: 15th November 2016
Most rail journeys are ones of necessity usually to and from work, often on overcrowded subways or commuter trains. These train journeys can be uncomfortable and spent staring at your shoes or if you’re unlucky, into someone’s armpit! But for some rail journeys, there are zen moments to experience.
Date: 25th March 2015
It’s been a hard slog, but we’re underway; LOCO Journeys has a new website, locojourneys.co.nz We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, but simply get it turning and open minds in how they travel the world.