From the North
From Blenheim take State Highway 6, via Nelson over the Hope Saddle to Murchison or take State Highway 63 via St Arnaud and the Nelson Lakes National Park. State Highway 63 meets State Highway 6 at Howard Junction about 40km north of Murchison.
From the East
From Christchurch there are two options: State Highway 7 leaves State Highway 1 at Waipara in North Canterbury, travels past Hanmer Springs and over the the Lewis Pass to Reefton and on to Greymouth where it joins State Highway 6. This is a good road at any time of the year and suitable for any type of vehicle and is the recommended route for towing caravans or trailers. State Highway 73 is the direct route from Christchurch to the Coast. It travels through Mid Canterbury to Springfield, before climbing over, first, Porters Pass and then Arthurs Pass before descending down the Taramakau River to meet State Highway 6 at Kumara Junction, about half way between Greymouth and Hokitika.
This road has a number of steep grades and sharp corners - towing caravans or trailers over this route is not advised. Until recently, the descent from the top of Arthurs Pass to Otira included a single lane section that was subject to rockfalls. It has now been replaced with a viaduct. Historically, this is the horse drawn coach route and this dictated that the trans-alpine railway line also cross the Southern Alps here, via the Otira Tunnel. Steeped in history, and with spectacular and varied scenery, be sure to stop in at Arthurs Pass National Park headquarters in Arthurs Pass township, even if it is only for a quick break.
From the South
From Wanaka travel State Highway 6 over the Haast Pass to Haast and Fox Glacier.
By bus
'InterCity Coachlines' (http://www.intercity.co.nz/) operates daily services along the West coast departing from Nelson and Picton. InterCity also offer a range of fixed itinerary options which enable you to travel from Nelson to Queenstown via the West Coast.
'Newmans Coach Lines' (http://www.newmanscoach.co.nz) provides premium daily sightseeing tours from Queenstown to both Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers.
'Atomic Shuttles' (http://www.atomictravel.co.nz/) Operates Picton - Nelson - Fox Glacier, Christchurch - Greymouth and Greymouth - Queenstown
'West Coast Shuttle' (http://www.westcoastshutt...) Greymouth 8AM to Christchurch arrive midday via Arthur's Pass then from Christchurch 3PM to Greymouth via Arthurs Pass all services via Ch-ch airport on demand
Trans-Alpine Express
(http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/) Departs from Christchurch and provides a daily return journey to Greymouth and has been described as one of the best rail journeys in the world. It includes many tunnels, apart from the 8 km long Otira Tunnel, with a grade of 1:33 making it one of the steepest grades of any two rail traction railway tunnel in the world as well as the third longest railway tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere.