Journey on the TranzAlpine

How many pictures of a mountain do you really need?  Apparently, the answer is always "one more."  At least this is what we found on our trip across the South Island on the TranzAlpine Railway.  Our friends Tom and Janine had come to visit, and the train trip was Tom's one request.  Earlier in the week, we had visited some of our Wellington haunts.  The weather was beastly:  cold, rainy, and windy.  So we were hoping things might go better on the South Island, sometimes called "the mainland" by the locals.

I'm not sure Tom realized what the journey would entail.  Early Thursday morning we headed out to the ferry and boarded the Kaitaki for the Interislander morning sail.  Though it's only eight miles to the South Island from Wellington as the crow flies, it takes 3 hours to make the journey, due to channels and currents and rough seas.  The first hour spent getting out of Wellington harbor was pretty rough; even the offer of movies and shopping couldn't quite dispel the rolling of the floor.  Surprisingly, the second hour on the open sea was smoother, and the trip into the harbor at Picton, past the salmon farm, was lovely, all green hills and calm waters.  Then we were in the car again.  We passed through hills and hills covered with grapevines and had lunch at the Brancott winery.  About midway into the 4 1/2 hour journey towards Christchurch, through numerous hairpin curves, we came to the town of Kaikoura (where we plan to return with the kids for whale-watching). The name of the town refers to koura, which are the giant crayfish that look like lobsters and are a freshwater delicacy.  Near there, we had heard, was a path into the woods where we might see a waterfall with the possible bonus of seal pups.  Sure enough, in a beautiful spot,  mother seals were lounging on the rocks where they had been fishing.  About ten minutes into the woods on the other side of the highway we walked under a railway bridge, and there it was:  the waterfall with several seal pups, some frolicking in the water, some just hanging out on the bank.  They didn't seem to mind photos, but it was pretty dark in there, so the pictures are hard to see.  Then it was on to Christchurch.

Christchurch is not quite itself these days, of course.  Two earthquakes in one year have taken a toll, and the city center is still closed.  Construction fences are everywhere; the cathedral is gone; and the red zone is still a couple of miles in the center of the city.  There are still aftershocks.  139 people died, and though the scale is not that of 9/11, people are still traumatized.  It was an unknown that Christchurch was even on a fault.  After driving around a little and indulging in some Indian food, we headed back to the motel to prepare for an early start.

The southern alps are magnificent.  Maybe I should just let a few of the pictures speak.  Tall mountains, some with snow on top, turquoise river, pink, purple and yellow lupines, a lake.  At Arthur's Pass, we took pictures of a cheeky green kea who came to visit.  In addition, we shared our railroad car with what appeared to be a family reunion worthy of Bollywood (lots of laughter, dancing and singing) and a philosophical couple, consisting of a Welsh man and his South African wife, who were eager to exchange views on lifestyle and culture with good humor.  It was an enjoyable all-day journey from Christchurch to Greymouth and back.  Greymouth has had its own recent tragedy too.  Shortly after we arrived in New Zealand there was an explosion at the Pike River mine, which took the lives of 29 miners.  We only had an hour in Greymouth before the return to Christchurch began, but we did our best to stimulate the local economy in the gift shops there :-).

The next morning we visited the Christchurch Botanic Garden, outstanding for its roses and huge, beautiful trees.  We also visited the Canterbury Museum, where we particularly enjoyed the Antarctica exhibit and mind-boggling costumes from the World of Wearable Art.  Then it was back in the car and back to Picton, where we visited Eco-world, an aquarium and rehab center for orphaned or injured little blue penguins.  We saw two little female penguins from situations where parents had two eggs, then rejected the smaller baby.  They were adorable, swimming and diving and calling.  One was very "stroppy" and kept evading the net when it was time to be returned for her nap.  They were about two weeks old and will be returned to the wild at eight weeks.  We weren't allowed to take pictures for fear of stressing the fish (no eyelids).

A long ferry ride and a short sleep followed.  John took Tom and Janine to the airport at 5 a.m.  Anna and Claire are due to arrive tonight at midnight, then Emily and Paul on Tuesday.  It's a rich time with these visits from home.  We are loving sharing our life here with family and friends who are coming to visit.  And with you too.