Saturday 23 March
Today I travelled from Westport to Murchison, then over the Lewis Pass to Waipara and freedom camped at Glenmark Reserve.
Sunday 24 March
To Christchurch Tasman Holiday Park which took over the Top 10. Stopped and explored all the coastal villages and beaches enroute to Christchurch. Explored parking at Christchurch railway Station for Tuesday morning Coastal Pacific trip before checking in at Tasman,
Monday 25 March
Laundry and housekeeping followed by Coffee Club lunch at Northlands Shopping Mall.
I checked out the laundry first thing in the morning to see how many coins I would need to do two loads of drying and washing. However there was a sign in the laundry that it was a “cashless” system for operating the washers and dryers. You scan a QR code and when the website for using the machines comes up on the iPhone you click on the machine you intend to use, pay the wash or dryer charge via credit card, then set the temperature (for wash) or heat and time for dry, push start and the system gets underway. Clever stuff.
I seem to be constantly finding new ways current computer systems are easing transactions. When paying online for my tickets to travel the Coastal Pacific there was a question “are you a Senior Citizen – if so enter your Gold Card number in the box below”. When I did this and clicked “next” there was an immediate response, “confirmed”, and the ticket price dropped by 10%. However, on the train the Café staff told us that their Eftpos machines would not work until we arrived in Blenheim or got back to near Christchurch, and they preferred customers to use cash for purchasing food and drink. For those without cash they would run up a tab and come round with the Eftpos machine just before we reached home.
Tuesday 26 March
What a great day out on the train trip. It was 5 ½ hours each way, and I spent half the time going up in the viewing car, and about a 1/4 of the time there on the return to ChCh. The day was cool, windy and sunny going up along the coast, but once we left the coast heading inland to Blenheim it warmed up noticeably. Returning it was sunny through from Picton to the coast but then cool again and overcast with low cloud until we headed inland toward Greta Valley, with a sunny evening all the way home.
Leaving ChCh the sun rose as we headed up to Waipara with a good view of the Glenmark Reserve freedom camping site from where I had photographed the Sunday Coastal Pacific passing by.
My camping location at Glenmark Reserve, Waipara, as we passed at 5 to 8am. It seems to be busy every night.
Sunrise on the hills at Greta Valley.
The coastal views were superb, with lots of traffic on the road.
This truck followed us before and after Kaikoura, so the driver must have stopped for a cuppa while we collected passengers at the Kaikoura stop. The photo angle shows the train as being very long.
The viewing car has handrails designed to prevent people leaning out from the edge of the carriage. I was able to hold the camera at arm’s length to get my views of the front of the train.
Viewing car at the rear going up allowed for great pictures of the front of the train – going back to ChCh the viewing car was behind the engine giving good views of the rear of the train when rounding corners.
Going up the loco was in front of two service cars (baggage and freight), followed by the Scenic Plus carriage (expensive first class service) followed by a Cafe Car, two passenger carriages then finally the viewing car – seven cars plus engine total length. We were just under half full going up, then totally full to Kaikoura going back where a group of a dozen passengers left. Overall the service was well patronised.
I took loads of landscape photos on the trip, showing extremely dry conditions in Marlborough. However the many vineyards were a great contrast from the stock fields.
Vineyard between Blenheim and Picton.
Salt works processing operations at Grassmere with salt streaming onto a stockpile.
I took 255 photos on the trip which will provide great memories in the future. Today I head back to the West Coast via Arthurs Pass, freedom camping on the way towards Greymouth. Will update you on my travels before Easter Sunday.
Wednesday 27 March
Wednesday I began the return to the coast. Rain set in midmorning and around 12 noon I had to take off-road shelter as a huge storm battered the van. I found a thick hedge I closeted the vehicle against at an off-road parking area at Aylesbury near Darfield as rain and hail and strong wind buffeted the van. My objective for the day was to visit the limestone Tors at Castle Hill after travelling over Porters Pass. However, when I arrived at the Tors carpark at around 3:45pm it was very cold and windy and given the return walk to visit the limestone features would take over 40 minutes I decide to camp early for the night and come back early Thursday morning.
Mistletoe Flats DoC campsite for Wednesday night.
It was well sheltered and although very cold outside the gas heater in the van kept me snug. In the morning there was snow on the tops of the mountains all around me.
Thursday 28 March
So I got back to the Castle Hills Tors parking area 20 past 8 Thursday morning with no one else around. The Tors are named Kura Tawhiti now. It was cold and dry with misty drizzle on the hill tops as I set off on the 40 minute loop track in a blustery wind, so strong that gusts threatened to blow me off the track at times.
Parking area with Tors in the distance.
Main group of limestone formations.
The loop track proceeds up around the back of this group with loads of formations over the rise.
It was cold, but I was well wrapped up with Lexie’s old wool-merino hat down around my ears. She gave this headgear to me years back when she got a new one.
Fortunately several areas of the track provided shelter from the wind.
It was then on to Cass where the railway siding shed became famous from a Rita Angus painting.
The modern Cass where goods trains can drop off wagons for local farm stations.
Inside the shed was a book exchange library where someone had left a postcard of the iconic Rita Angus painting.
I had a cuppa while parked beside the railway and as it was 10am I began to work out where the TranzAlpine might be – had it gone through Cass already? I reckoned it might be close given the time it left Christchurch and the distance Cass was on the way to Greymouth. And then, suddenly I could see the 3 bright headlights of the engine way down the line, and then the train came thundering through.
Two engines were hauling the train.
I noticed not only were there two engines, there was two of everything, café cars, viewing cars, first class Scenic Plus cars, and four (instead of two) regular passenger cars – the train was twice the size of the Coastal Pacific which I took on Tuesday.
It seemed quite a coincidence I happened to be at Cass when the train came through (but that was not the end of my train experience that day).
I went on to Arthur’s Pass into steady rain as I approached the Village at 11:30am. I wanted to visit the Devils Punchbowl Falls behind the village, but it was so wet that maybe I had to miss out and carry on to the coast. I went into the DoC Visitor Centre and the lady behind the reception desk was on the phone and I heard her say that the rain was going to ease from 1pm. I then asked her about the weather and access to visit the 131 metre falls. The description of the walk to the falls said there was a 150m climb up to the base of the cascade, which seemed to be out of my level of capability. She confirmed the rain was scheduled to ease from 1pm, and said the climb to the punchbowl pool at the base of the falls involved 400 steps. OK, not for me, but she said there is a good view from the second bridge on the walking trail, and before the steps start.
Devils Punchbowl falls from a distance (only half the height visible) with new snow on the tops – this was around 1:30pm when the rain had fully stopped.
Then it was on to the top of Arthur’s Pass and down the Otira Gorge.
The 1999 viaduct which did away with “Deaths Corner” at the top of the Pass (rain had recommenced and spots got on the camera lens).The viaduct slopes steeply down as the road descends the gorge.
Going down the gorge I was in a huge traffic queue behind a large transporter that was carefully descending in low gear on the steep grade.
I arrived at Otira about 3:15pm and after taking photos of the quirky hotel there noticed 4 railway locomotives coupled together at the station.
There were Lord of the Rings themed sculptures at the hotel.
So I went through the pedestrian underpass to the station and realised that these four engines must be on standby to assist trains to climb the steep grade up through the Otira Tunnel. The down-slope engine was idling so I thought there must be a train coming soon, and sure enough at 4pm the TranzAlpine appeared in the distance, pulling up to stop at the station while the idling engine hitched up to push from the rear of the train.
TranzAlpine pulling into Otira – how about that – twice in one day to see this train.
It was a long train, as I explained before.
Two engines pulling at the front and this third engine (facing backwards) was pushing from the rear.
I spoke to the guy in the hi-viz jacket who coupled up the rear engine, and he said once they get to Arthur’s Pass they uncouple and come straight back down the tunnel to assist the 5:15pm coal train. That will require more than one pusher engine because these coal trains are huge.
So, Thursday was a big day. Late afternoon I arrived in Greymouth and checked in for 3 nights at their Top 10.
Friday 29 March (Good Friday)
I did a loop from Greymouth back up the road to Otira then turning left at Jacksons to take the scenic route via Lake Brunner back to Greymouth. At Kumara, where the last gold rush in New Zealand took place in 1876, there were 25 story panels in the village green covering the history and families of the area.
The gold rush story – these 25 story panels were large and full of information. Needless to say I did not read them, but have photos of the lot to study at leisure.
Lake Brunner was calm and warm, with the village of Moana full of holiday makers.
The house boat harbour at the lake.
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