Discounting an intermittent smattering of seasonal charters, New Zealand currently operates just two trains, both in the South Island. Perhaps less surprising to anyone within cooee of, arguably, the most beautiful country on the planet, is that Great Journeys New Zealand TranzAlpine route (which travels east-west across the shoulders of the island) is recognised as one of the world’s most scenic train journeys. Its east coast counterpart, Coastal Pacific skims the dramatic fringe between Picton, situated on an inlet within the Marlborough Sounds, and Christchurch. The panoramic schedule, for each roughly five-hour journey, shuffles between stages of pure relaxation – like Canterbury’s verdant plains or Kaikoura’s craggy volcanic bay – and adrenal tickling intoxication, specifically through the heart-stopping gorges around Arthurs Pass in the Southern Alps, otherworldly, even on a misty, drizzly day. Oversized picture-windows guarantee sensory feasting from start to finish, driving an appetite for bottomless helpings of this jaw-dropping landscape and its significant bounty.

As a hub for both rail-routes, receptacle of direct flights from Australia and within easy roadtrippin’ reach of Dunedin, Christchurch qualifies not only as an ultra-convenient basecamp but one heck of a fuelling station. Although bittersweet, the opportunity to rebuild from scratch, after 2011’s devastating earthquake, actualised a delightfully strollable (and tram-able) city with interactive arts and entertainment precincts devised for social engagement. Spirited dining enclaves are appointed throughout the compact city centre; even the pretty bridges and park benches of the meandering Avon River (overwhelmingly Parisienne draped in afternoon light) are perfectly positioned for ice cream, coffee, or both.

Popular Riverside Market showcases local providores, including a co-op of small-scale food artisans, with eat-in-or-out options and plentiful alfresco seating. Upstairs, Riverside Kitchen’s culinary classes and excursions should not be missed – imagine urban foraging by e-bike through a decommissioned suburb which still fruits, nuts and fronds! Little High, a funkier, neon-doused affair attracts a youthful crowd for top-notch food-truck eats including fried chicken, towering burgers, and sassy Mexican. Nostalgic New Regent Street’s pedestrian strip of original Spanish Mission architecture is crammed with vintage-furnished cocktail bars like The Last Word, serious coffee dens including Belle micro-roastery, eclectic shops and welcoming eateries; 27 Steps’s spruced up bistro-grub, think Baked blue-cheesecake with beets, hazelnuts and truffled honey, just one fine example. Nearby, upmarket Inati’s signature aperitifs and polished service offer perfect entrée to a creative ‘trust us’ share-menu lauding Canterbury’s foodbowl, and exemplary wines from around the country. Mornings at Childsister are a thing of beauty but just try choosing between the Breakfast sando (omelette clouds, melty cheddar and shaved champagne ham on brioche) and the garlicky, spicy, umami mike-drop that is their Kimchee rice omelette.

Entering the newly launched Observatory Hotel is an Alice in Wonderland moment with vibrantly coloured plush furnishings, art and books as tempting as an assortment of high-tea petits fours. Creature comforts extend throughout the boutique space offering ultimate relaxation and, if timed right, theatrical acoustics -gifted from across the grey-stone courtyard of its gothic Arts Centre location. Christchurch’s utterly peaceful Botanic Gardens are an easy dawdle and Cellar Door’s biblical wine-flight menu, dangerously close. Magnificent Otahuna Lodge and its idyllic kitchen-farm and garden, just 25 minutes from town, proffers an exceedingly luxurious stay and, like all Relais & Chateau properties, cuisine sits at its core. Heritage breed pigs are transformed into transcendental bacon and breakfast sausages and orchard fruits are plucked for cider and pickles, pre-dinner canapes and fluted bubbles are supped fireside and time-capsule-like dining rooms are exquisitely set for paramount enjoyment. Attention to detail is apparent from arrival until staff ever-so-gently pry your desperately clinging fingers from the grand doorway.

Alighting a TranzAlpine journey on the wild West Coast reveals a raw, real and windswept province from rainforest to glacier. Popular with outdoor enthusiasts in summer, it’s infectiously moody and quiet in the winter, offering true retreat. Accommodation with a kitchenette, like The Oceanview Retreat in picturesque Punakaiki, and a rental car are essential for vista and village hopping, free-wheeling coffee stops and mustering delectable nosh for your table. Sample every divine drop at Reefton Distillery but reserve a few dollars for The Future Dough Co’s old-fashioned ginger slice and Afghan cookies. Drop into Blackball Salami for cured and fresh sausages, tiny Kumara’s Theatre Royal Hotel for wild venison pies and Hokitika Sandwich Company for their gold-star compositions. Hit Westport for Johnny’s beer battered oysters and tender whitebait patties with mint sauce ( it’s a West Coast thing) before sipping a breezy at ultra-hip Shortjaw Brewing whilst filling a rigger to go. For enhanced flavour engage West Coast Scenic Taste Tours’ knowledgeable Jackie – a true kiwi character. On return carriage, stop by Speights Ale House, opposite Greymouth Station, for a fireside bevvy and lush kumara chips.

Breaking! Stunning Marlborough, the Eastern Pacific’s northern terminus, isn’t the one-trick Savvy-B pony purported, despite being the region’s rootstock – immaculate alternative varietals now pour out of wineries like Te Whare Ra, Hanz Herzog and Whitehaven. Slow down enough and you’ll note Marlborough’s inherently sophisticated palate also sustains restaurants like stupendous Arbour, where hints of Japanese sensibility flitter throughout, and a friendly, first-class team delivers faultless, innovative food and wine pairings. Simplicity is mastered by way of the charcoal oven at gorgeous Harvest, the inhouse restaurant of The Marlborough, a luxury lodge secluded in private parklands. Clever snacks meet killer (rosemary-infused) martinis, made on Elemental Distillers’ ridiculously good Roots gin, at Franks – a convenient stumble from Blenheim’s brilliant new urban hotel 14th Lane – equally-handy to Scotch Wine Bar’s liquid cache and inventive fare. Championing passionate growers for 20 years, Blenheim based Marlborough Farmers Market also provides access to extraordinary tastemakers like Rood Food (hand-on-heart, world’s best chicken liver parfait) and Cranky Goat for celestial local cheese which teleports tastebuds to France. It’s that good.

Marlborough Sounds’ intricate waterways are famous for pristine seafood including Green-lipped mussels (try them expertly grilled at Mills Bay Mussels), abalone, sea perch and blue cod. Relish each at their absolute finest by spending an idyllic day with Katabatic Charters; gaze at dolphins, reel in fish, haul mussels from their beds and sip Marlborough gold while Grant Orchard, boat-building-skipper and ex-superyacht chef, BBQ’s lunch on deck. Stay at dreamy Bay of Many Coves Resort (accessible by Picton Water Taxi) for a deeply tranquil and delicious hideaway and explore lush habitat vibrating with glow worms, bird chorus and penguin murmur. Feast on daily menus honouring impeccable local ingredients such as Cloudy Bay clams, sweet Kaikoura crayfish and native herbs – picked from the grounds by a chef who infuses Marlborough sea-salt with local Pinot Noir for butter. The writer was a guest of ChristchurchNZ, Destination Marlborough, West Coast New Zealand, Otahuna Lodge, Great Journeys New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand