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Published: January 24th 2009
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Our fourth day fell on Christmas Eve and was one of relative rest; the first three days were a whirlwind of activity. When we were planning the trip, we knew that by the end of the third day we would be spent, so for the fourth day taking a scenic train through the mountains from coast to coast seemed to fit well.
The TranzAlpine travels from Christchurch on the east coast to Greymouth on the west coast. In between are some plains, lots of mountains, and some rivers.
We got up early, went to the train station, checked in, waited, and then boarded the train. One of the many cool things about the trip is that one of my co-workers from the project in Sydney and her friend were also taking the same train; we knew they were in town (and had planned to meet up for the dinner the night before, but we arrived too late in Christchurch), but didn't know they were traveling on the TranzAlpine. For some reason, I just love meeting up with people I know in another country (I had another co-worker years back that I saw in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, St. Louis,
Bridge
A wonderful photo courtesy of Vanessa. and, I think, Quakertown, Pennsylvania).
Robert, Vanessa, and I mainly lounged around during the train ride. The scenery, of course, was beautiful. Near the front of the train was an open air carriage for a better view of the scenery and taking pictures (the windows in the regular carriages were tinted), but it got pretty packed, especially at the best points.
The total time in transit was about 4.5 hours and there were a few stops at small towns in between; one of the towns was apparently owned by one person.
Along the way we also saw fields of
lupins. Lupins are flowering plants in pastel colors often grown in ornamental gardens. Seeing a blended carpet of of purple, yellow, pink and white flowers along a river with mountains in the background is quite a lovely sight. However, lupins are not native to NZ and not without consequence. Somewhere over the last few hundred years, people started importing lupins into NZ to plant in their gardens and, well, the lupins escaped and now are pretty much ubiquitous on the south island.
The consequence is that lupins thrive and grow very well in
braided rivers; braided rivers are
relatively rare in the world, so losing them is kind of a big deal... and as the lupins proliferate in the braided river systems they send down deep roots and soil begins to form around them... as it does this it forces the river into a distinct channel which, in addition to losing the braided system, can also affect wildlife that depends on it (such as birds accustomed to shallow water). The NZ government has tried to get rid of lupins, but too many people like them (and the lupins may be unstoppable, anyway).
During the ride we went a few times to the open air carriage. It was windy with better views of the passing terrain. After the first time going out there, I noticed my eyes itching a bit... I just assumed some dust flew up into my eyes since it seemed to start after we went through a tunnel. I rinsed them out at a lavatory.
Later on I went out again and my eyes started the water and itch worse than before... then I saw some other people with red and watery eyes (and clearly bothered). I rinsed out my eyes again and rested
indoors. Shortly after that the train announcer explained that some people may find that their eyes are being irritated due to something in bloom. Great timing on the announcers part. (sarcasm). Still, the ride was too good for me to be bothered much.
After the train ride, we picked up our car and went to the
Global Village hostel. This hostel definitely had a global feel with lots of artwork, carvings, and various other artifacts from around the world. And the people staying there were from all over, as well (e.g. Germany, Britain, Israel, etc.). The rooms were comfortable. They had a very nice kitchen, decks and other outside sitting areas, some pleasant common areas (with games and books), a stream out back, and the friendly owners. One of the best hostels I've stayed at.
Later on, we had a late lunch at one of the cafes downtown, went shopping for groceries, and walked around a bit. One of the stores had kind of a Wal-Mart format... big and boxing... a large variety of products, etc. One thing strange I noticed was the cost of books... after converting back to U.S. dollars, the cost of a paper back was
around $20! Though most things in NZ cost more, this stood out to me a bit. Maybe they have to import the paper? I dunno.
Moving on... Greymouth has a wonderful small town feel and is surrounded by coast on one side and steep hills on the other and has a river running through the middle of it. The architecture looks U.S. 1950s style (as much of rural NZ does). And, walking through the town, in some neighborhoods it felt like we were on the set of the show LOST in the little village where the Others used to live.
We then headed back to the hostel and chilled out for awhile. Around this time I was beginning to feel the relaxed hostel atmosphere and, for some reason, I suddenly realized this: I wanted some flip-flops. 😊
Later on, Robert and Vanessa decided to go back into town to explore more and check out the pier, so I asked them if they could pick up a pair of flip-flops for me. They ended up buying a pair of black ones and Robert bought a pair, as well.
After receiving them, I went to my room, kicked
off my tennis shoes and sock, and slipped on my new flip-flops. Yes, they were more comfortable, but they also had something else to them. Possibly they serve to me as a kind of symbol of letting the free-spirit out. Maybe something else. Whatever it is, it felt great.
For sleeping, I had a small but very comfortable room/bed; the bed took up most of it. The room also had a good sized window, which I had propped open.
I went to bed early as I hadn't gotten much sleep the previous few days; it was tough to concentrate on anything.
The first day I had drank coffee to keep me alert while driving and I had continued drinking a cup or two a day for a few days while knowing of the inevitable crash (body not car). It was now time to crash and I felt very, very tired. The kind of tired where when you lay down... whatever position your body is in you just don't feel like moving... each limb feels weighted and sinks heavily into the bed while consciousness fast fades away. And it quickly faded away at the advent of what was
to be over ten hours of beautiful, sweet, and wonderful sleep leading straight into my first summer Christmas.
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Adele
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Springfield
I saw your photos that showed a building with "Springfield" on it, and I wanted to know a little more...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield,_New_Zealand Too bad you missed out on their big attraction! And you were so close! That train ride looked wonderful!