We were the first to arrive for the TranzAlpine train to Greymouth. So early in fact, that the Christchurch railway staff kindly offered to share their office coffee as no cafes were open nearby. It was going to be a five-hour trip up and over the spine of New Zealand’s South Island. I sat in the lobby that morning, watching the shade and the sun jockey for position on the platform, and picking at the side of my coffee cup—anxious to move. This is the land of the Southern Alps and blue-gray “braided” rivers, and the scenic train was expected to be full.
Glimpses between other tourists’ noggins, while on the TranzAlpine train in New Zealand’s Southern Alps 🙂
And full it was. Everybody was in the viewing car when the train passed into a landscape of dramatic green gorges, with the turquoise Waimakariri River pouring along at the bottom. I’d been standing on the “wrong” side of the viewing car, daydreaming and sniffing at the wind like a dog when I heard the exclamations and gasps. People stood 4 deep on the other side of the open-air viewing car. No one was going to cede a railing spot with that view. I held my camera high over their heads and snapped a few photos—not one lucky. A cloud soon vignetted the view and a soft, sweet rain sparkled down in the full-on sun, over a jade-green gorge and the sky-blue water. I moved away from the crowd, and stepped out into the “between”. There, between the cars, was an open railing, the green gorge, the blue water, and those magical raindrops twinkling down. Thank you gods of New Zealand!
The braided turquoise Waimakariri River, from the TranzAlpine, South Island, New ZealandSouth Island, New Zealand as seen from the TranzAlpine trainSheep run from the sound of the TranzAlpine Train, New ZealandLone house near the TranzAlpine tracks in New ZealandFrom the viewing car on the TranzAlpine Train in New Zealand
Going through the Otira Tunnel
After a while, the train stopped at Arthur’s Pass National Park and almost everyone exited. The train was quiet, the viewing car now empty except for the lucky few of us going on to Greymouth. We were about to enter the Otira Tunnel, a 100-year old, long (5.25 miles) tunnel that takes the train down 820 feet, under the Southern Alps from Arthur’s Pass to Otira. Because of exhaust fumes in the tunnel, the viewing car is closed, the cafe car is closed, and riders are asked to stay seated. We entered the darkness. The mountain walls on either side were very, very close. The train was going slow. Sometimes so slow that it felt as if we had stopped moving, betrayed only by a few bumps, the occasional sounds of metal groaning and screeching, and a sound like a squeegee on a wet windshield. This went on, and on, and on. Having just left Christchurch, thoughts of earthquakes, land shifting up 6 feet, and rockslides began to nibble on the edges of my consciousness.
When we passed out of the tunnel into brightness–an eternity (or 20 minutes) later, it’s as if life came back into the train. Smiles, laughter, we breathed again. I suddenly wanted a glass of wine, and maybe ice cream. I was not the only one. The cafe car had brisk business just after the tunnel.
New Zealand’s West Coast
We were on the West Coast of New Zealand now. The tunnel had taken us to another realm. I sat with my Sauvignon Blanc, and listened to the GPS-triggered history recordings onboard, making notes in my journal. This lush “sub-tropical valley” was “too wet for sheep”, so it was now used for “dairying”. Some seeds were blown here from Australia. And I got chill-bumps when they told the story of the white heron, whose flight one is lucky to see once in a lifetime, or in death (as in, “He flies with the white heron now.”)
Cows watch as the TranzAlpine train passes, South Island New Zealand
How lucky I felt that day, on the TranzAlpine train, in beautiful New Zealand. To read more about taking the train in New Zealand, please see this post.
Carol & Bryan boarding the TranzAlpine in ChristchurchNew Zealand’s rugged landscape as seen from the TranzAlpine train
“There isn’t a train I wouldn’t take. No matter where it’s going.” Edna St. Vincent Millay
There is just something about a train. It is said that Mickey Mouse popped out of Walt Disney’s head while on a train from Manhattan to Hollywood, and that Harry Potter and his crew suddenly came to J.K. Rowling on a delayed train from Manchester to London. Maybe it’s the luxury of time to think, to daydream, to watch the homes and backyards, and farms and wide vistas go past, or maybe it’s the soothing rhythm of the wheels on the tracks and the cradle-rocking motion. It’s like stepping back in time to a slower way of living life. Even the most basic train trip bestows these feelings to me. So yes, Edna, I agree!
NEW ZEALAND’S NORTH ISLAND BY TRAIN
In January, we took the Northern Explorer train from Auckland to Wellington. The Northern Explorer is a long-distance passenger train operated by The Great Journeys of New Zealand and KiwiRail on the North Island. The 10-hour train ride took us South to the end of the North Island, through National Park station, over the volcanic mountains, across 25 bridges, through 14 tunnels, and over miles of green fields past many small villages. We liked The Northern Explorer so much, we returned to Auckland from Wellington a few weeks later by train again.
The Northern Explorer as seen from the viewing car. North Island, New Zealand
Here are just a few things I collected while riding the Northern Explorer.
THE NORTHERN EXPLORER IS A GOOD INTRODUCTION TO NEW ZEALAND: PEOPLE & HISTORY
We purchased our tickets online before leaving Chicago. So all we had to do when the big yellow locomotive pulled into the station was get our boarding passes, and hand over our suitcases to ride in the luggage car. The crew were helpful and efficient. They answered any question–about the train or about their country–and all with that Kiwi easy-going good humor.
The train is equipped with a GPS-triggered commentary that is available through free headsets at each seat. This told the stories of the land, the Maori, and the building of the railroad. The Maori fought to keep their native land and sovereignty during New Zealand’s wars in the 1860-70s. At Orakau is where the Maori leaders promised: “We will fight you forever and forever and forever. Ake. Ake. Ake.” According to the train commentary, New Zealand is now “confronting the past and making restitutions.”
Non-native deer grazing on the North Island in New ZealandFields of North Island, New Zealand
THE OPEN-AIR VIEWING CAR SUITS THE DOG IN ME
The KiwiRail trains have open-air viewing cars in which passengers can stand to feel New Zealand go by. What a rush to be out there—the wind hard on your face, the sound of the train loud in your ears, and the landscape sweeping by. I spent a lot of time in the viewing car. I felt like a dog, happy in a car window—inhaling the fresh air in big, long, gulping sniffs.
The open window view inside the Northern Explorer’s viewing car
NEW ZEALAND HAS LOTS OF CARGO CONTAINERS
As we pulled out of Auckland, past backyards and cityscapes, we saw a parking lot of cargo containers stacked high. It was a reminder that this land is isolated, and many items make long ocean journeys to get here. We would see plenty more of these during our time in New Zealand–used as bolsters against earthquake landslides or building collapses, and in a “mall” of container shops.
Cargo containers stacked high in Auckland, NZ
THE INNOVATIVE RAURIMU SPIRAL IS NOT REALLY A SPIRAL
The Raurimu Spiral is an engineering feat using natural land contours to go quickly up steep and difficult terrain in Hill Country. It was a very difficult climb to this volcanic plateau. So much so, that when building the railroad here, oxen’s necks were often broken under the strain of carrying supplies up. The “spiral”–which looks more like a plumber’s doodle of elaborate under-the-sink pipes–solved this with a series of hairpin turns, a big loop that goes over itself, and a number of curves. It is said that once in the night, a train driver emergency-braked his train when he mistakenly thought the light of his last car (on a nearby part of the spiral) was the rear of a different train in front of him.
Near the Makatote River, the old trestle in Tongariro National Park
COWS CAN GALLOP
The train weaved through green valleys and across rolling hills dotted with sheep and cows. Sometimes sheep would stand and stare at the passing train from close proximity. And other times, sheep–and even cows–would run from the noise of the approaching train. I saw cows in full gallop. I never realized cows could hurry.
The rolling land of North Island, New ZealandRangitikei River canyon near Mangaweka and Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
YOU DON’T NEED WIFI
“There is no WiFi onboard. We don’t need WiFi. Neither do you. Look out the window to the left, or to the right. It updates every minute.” I heard a few gasps and sighs at the start of that announcement, and then laughs at the end. And I’m here to tell you, we can survive quite well without WiFi! How enjoyable it was, sitting at the little table with my journal stretched out in front of me, staring at New Zealand’s green beauty going past, writing and sketching, and sipping wine or coffee.
Fields for days, and one solo sheep, New Zealand from the Northern Explorer. Photo available on Etsy.
I MISS THE GRAND OLD STATIONS
Wellington’s Bunny Street Station came close to what I expected: an imposing facade with a soaring ceiling over a breezy lobby opening to rows and rows of train platforms. Auckland no longer uses their spectacular “Grand Central” for the Northern Explorer. That train station building has been converted to the Grand Central Apartments. I’m sure it’s a fabulous building to live in, but I got a little jealous when I realized it wasn’t being used for its intended purpose. And remember those train station flip boards showing all the destinations, departure times, and track numbers? I miss them too. I love that sound as their many letters and numbers cascade into place while everyone waits and watches.
Arriving in Wellington’s Bunny Street Station on 1/15/18Departing Bunny Street Train Station in Wellington on 1/28/18.
A FEW LAST RANDOM BITS FOR THE CURIOUS
A sheep station = a sheep farm. It took me a little while to realize the “stations” weren’t places for the police or fire departments.
A heart standing still is depressed. This was in my notes from some unknown source. Profoundly sad.
Founded in 1887, New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park is one of the first designated National Parks in the world.
The undersides of Silver Ferns glow at night! They are planted alongside tracks and paths to point the right direction for night walking. Fern fronds are seen everywhere in New Zealand–from plantings, to tattoos, to logos…like the logo on KiwiRail’s train cars!
The train will come to a quick stop when kids are on the railroad-track bridge diving into the Waikato River.
Looking out the back window of the viewing car on the Northern Explorer trainMy copy of KiwiRail’s map of the Northern Explorer’s route through the North Island, NZ
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your train stories. Where have you taken a train? What impressed you?
