NZ South Island Tour: The TranzAlpine Train

Because New Zealand comprises volcanic islands, there are  mountains, rolling hills, and coastal areas.  Because it is about as far from the equator as Massachusetts*, the seasons and temperatures are comparable.  Put that all together and fairly near Christchurch, you can find snow-covered mountains, golf courses,  whale watching and maybe even skiing, all in one season.   

Kate’s photo from the Christchurch flight gives an idea of much of the South Island’s landscape.

So. Island Mountains from plane

We depart Christchurch first thing in the morning and our tour is completely full… every seat on the coach to the TranzAlpine Train, the first leg of our trip, is occupied.  Since Kate's husband, Gary, has joined us,  this means my ‘seat mate’ is a stranger,  a woman from Perth who has a wicked cold.  I may have failed to mention this ‘down side’ of going on a tour; if you have to share your seat, it may not be the person of your dreams who shares it.  I decide to sit against the window with my jacket over my face as if it were a surgical mask.  I may look rude, paranoid, and strange, but I don’t want to catch whatever it is she has. 

The TranzAlpine Train is often called  “New Zealand’s Great Rail Adventure”. It reminds me of the ‘see the whole city’ bus tour’, but on a much larger scale.  Our goal is to get a vast overview of mountains and plains, ending on the west coast, then heading to the Franz Josef Glacier, 

Early in the trip, this sign makes me laugh: 

I’ve seen all kinds of cyclist advisories. Is there really a biker who would try to ride on the railroad tracks?  

As the train travels from the city through Canterbury, we see the plains around us and mountains ahead.  The humor of the cyclist sign is replaced by appreciation of what man and nature can do.  

As the train takes a curve, you an see the cars ahead and, behind that tree, one of the mountains. 

Before the arrival of humans, the lower altitudes of the island were covered with trees.  First Maori and then European settlers burned the forests so they could farm the land.  Th train takes us through these 'man-made' plains with rivers descending from the mountains beyond.

Mountains from the TranzAlpine Train

At one point, Kate and I take an adventurous walk from our comfortable seats to the open viewing car.  It’s open,  and great for viewing.  It’s also great for a wind so strong we risk being blown off the train.

Windblown Kate

Our adventure into the winds is short-lived.  We enjoy the views from our seats until we get to Arthur’s Pass.

Changing weather ahead

Arthur’s Pass--a route from east to west-- is the highest pass in the Southern Alps, at an altitude of about one-half mile (737 meters).   The mountains are much higher.   Mt. Aoraki (aka Mt Cook), which we’ll visit later on the tour, is about two-and-a-half miles high, almost as high as the Rockies' highest peak.

Maori hunters came this way, and then Europeans followed, looking for a route west.  Surveyor Arthur Dobson was the first to make his way through here in 1864, and he thought it was too difficult for a route west.  Nevertheless, Dobson’s engineer father arranged to build a road westward through the mountains.  In 1865. a crew of one thousand men began cutting through Arthur's Pass, and finished by 1866   The railroad followed at the beginning of the 20th century and was completed by 1923.

Kate at Arthur’s Pass 

This mountainous land was too difficult for early settlers to reach, so it wasn't cleared like the lower plains. Instead we have forests and rivers, walking, hiking and skiing trails. 

We continue to Hokitika, a charming, artsy west coast town, for lunch, and then board our coach to continue southward to the Franz Josef Glacier. 

*  Christchurch 43° 32' 0" S / 172° 38' 0" E        Boston    42° 21' 29" N / 71° 3' 37" W

For more information on the TranzAlpine Train, visit http://www.kiwirailscenic.co.nz/tranzalpine/.  To learn more about Athur’s Pass, its history and varied activities,  check http://www.arthurspass.com/ , http://www.newzealand.com/us/arthurs-pass/, and http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/canterbury/places/arthurs-pass-national-park/

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Next: Franz Josef Glacier