Boys' free train ride goes wrong

Two boys hoping to catch a free ride on a freight train from Christchurch to Ashburton instead ended up in Temuka.

Toll NZ described it as a "stupid act", putting their lives at risk.

The boys, aged 11 and 13, jumped on one of the train's wagons in Christchurch on Sunday and assumed it would stop 85km south in Ashburton, where they intended to hop off and visit a sick family member.

But the train didn't come to a halt until it reached Temuka, 58km south of Ashburton, at 11.45pm.

The pair, feeling cold, ran to the closest house and called the police.