It was a very early start, pick up at 7.15, but a great day and a fantastic journey. Luck was on our side and the day was mostly clear, but still only got to a max of 17deg ( at 7.30 it was a lot colder than that!)
Lining up to get our tickets John nearly got bowled over by some blonde Victorian policewoman, what a surprise, Caroline, who was only a few behind us in the queue. Dawn, Carolyn and Cliff and their friends were in a different carriage to us, but we saw a fair bit of them during the morning and had a short time with them when the journey ended in Greymouth and before we returned back to Christchurch.
But back to the journey, what magnificent scenery, only a few glimpses of snow but the wind in the outside viewing compartment was freezing, however it didn't stop John from spending most of the trip out there getting photos. The hills were spectacular, and the tunnels through the mountains amazing, as well as the gorgeous colour of the water. The return journey was even better in some aspects, as the sun was shining on the hills and it was lovely to take it all in again. The Canterbury plains are beautiful, although a lot drier than I expected.
We had dinner again in our favourite Irish pub, and won't have much trouble sleeping tonight!!
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Hi Kim and John - I think I have worked out how to leave a comment! I am enjoying reading about your NZ holiday and reminiscing about ours. The outdoor carriage on the train when freezing when we were there in December too. Look forward to the next installment.
ReplyDeleteHi Pauline,
ReplyDeleteGlad to know someone is following my blog! Hope it brings back good memories!