BLOG POST 28
After resting in the hotel for the night and after a hearty breakfast the next day we set going for one more day of travel today, this time in the world famous TranzAlpine train. We traveled on road past rural pastors of the Canterbury plains and reached Christchurch station from where we were going to travel by the train to Arthur’s Pass ,our coach captain Peter dropped us there at the station and after bidding goodbye to us went on ahead to Arthur’s pass to wait for us
The TranzAlpine operates a daily return service between Christchurch and Greymouth. It would start at 8.15 AM and reach Arthur’s pass at 10.52 AM.
By the time we got into the station, the train was ready waiting for us .As our luggage had gone in the bus ahead of us, we were only carrying our hand luggage with some food to eat on the way
We observed other tourists checking in their luggage which was stored very efficiently in the dedicated baggage carrier
TranzAlpine train journey has been rated as one of the top 10 train journeys in the world .The train had award-winning world-class carriages with specially designed seats which were spacious reclining type, panoramic windows, glass shelves and skylights.
As a result of the windows the carriages had plenty of light and delivered an incredible view of New Zealand's epic landscapes unfailingly.
The audio commentary system was mounted in the arm of our chair with a free headset to use for the journey, The commentary was in both English and Mandarin. Obvious intention was to connect with the histories, legends and myths of New Zealand by tuning into the audio commentary system. Packed in the commentary was a seamless stream of stories, narratives and facts about the places outside the windows.
We also had a power outlet to stay switched on for the whole journey!
Seating arrangement in carriages featured two different styles:
• Forward facing seating: these were the more spacious of the two options. These seats were rotated at the beginning of each journey to face the direction of travel. The forward facing seating had the advantage of always facing in the direction of travel and had much greater legroom than the table seating.
• Table Seating: this featured four seats around a large table perfect for families and groups who want to eat, drink, play games and enjoy time together.
The train had a licensed café carriage providing snacks and light meals Alcohol had to be purchased on board and prices were on a par with bars/restaurants ,there were plenty of clean toilets
The train had started and we hardly had realised it as it was running so smoothly
We were lucky to have the out door viewing carriages next to our carriage. These carriages had open sides and allowed us to have a feel of being genuinely outdoors while travelling across the great plains, through dense forests, along gorgeous coastlines and over spectacular mountain passes ,we however had to be dressed in warm clothing as it got cooler out there
From Christchurch, the first major stop was Springfield.
The landscape there was amazing. The town sat on the vast, flat, Canterbury Plains, but as we went just a couple of miles to the west, the Southern Alps ascended from the ground regally
We could see the fields of the Canterbury Plains one of New Zealand's primary agricultural regions, miles of native beech forest followed by the spectacular gorges and river valleys of the ice fed Waimakariri River. We luckily got a seat on the right hand side going to Arthur’s pass and got the best views of the rivers and gorges
There was a TV screen in each carriage that showed where we were and also alerted us when commentary started.
The first hour was a gentle ride across the plains and the mountains appeared in the distance, getting closer and bigger each minute. The train slowed down a lot as it started its climb and over the following hour it gripped the side of gorges ,and crossed bridges with jaw-dropping views between the high mountains.
The views were spell bounding with the green forests ,deep blue river and mountains and gorges appearing and disappearing
The train finally arrived at Arthur’s Pass - 737m above sea level (2,284ft) to get a few additional engines added for the final climb through the Otira tunnel.
From Arthur's Pass, the TranzAlpine descends through the 8.5km long Otira Tunnel. This landmark structure was the second longest tunnel in the world when it was completed in 1923. It's historic completion also marked the completion of the Midland Line and the opening of the railway line from Christchurch to Greymouth.
However we all got down at Arthur’s pass and boarded our bus to proceed for Franz Josef
After resting in the hotel for the night and after a hearty breakfast the next day we set going for one more day of travel today, this time in the world famous TranzAlpine train. We traveled on road past rural pastors of the Canterbury plains and reached Christchurch station from where we were going to travel by the train to Arthur’s Pass ,our coach captain Peter dropped us there at the station and after bidding goodbye to us went on ahead to Arthur’s pass to wait for us
By the time we got into the station, the train was ready waiting for us .As our luggage had gone in the bus ahead of us, we were only carrying our hand luggage with some food to eat on the way
We observed other tourists checking in their luggage which was stored very efficiently in the dedicated baggage carrier
TranzAlpine train journey has been rated as one of the top 10 train journeys in the world .The train had award-winning world-class carriages with specially designed seats which were spacious reclining type, panoramic windows, glass shelves and skylights.
The audio commentary system was mounted in the arm of our chair with a free headset to use for the journey, The commentary was in both English and Mandarin. Obvious intention was to connect with the histories, legends and myths of New Zealand by tuning into the audio commentary system. Packed in the commentary was a seamless stream of stories, narratives and facts about the places outside the windows.
We also had a power outlet to stay switched on for the whole journey!
Seating arrangement in carriages featured two different styles:
• Forward facing seating: these were the more spacious of the two options. These seats were rotated at the beginning of each journey to face the direction of travel. The forward facing seating had the advantage of always facing in the direction of travel and had much greater legroom than the table seating.
• Table Seating: this featured four seats around a large table perfect for families and groups who want to eat, drink, play games and enjoy time together.
The train had started and we hardly had realised it as it was running so smoothly
We were lucky to have the out door viewing carriages next to our carriage. These carriages had open sides and allowed us to have a feel of being genuinely outdoors while travelling across the great plains, through dense forests, along gorgeous coastlines and over spectacular mountain passes ,we however had to be dressed in warm clothing as it got cooler out there
The first hour was a gentle ride across the plains and the mountains appeared in the distance, getting closer and bigger each minute. The train slowed down a lot as it started its climb and over the following hour it gripped the side of gorges ,and crossed bridges with jaw-dropping views between the high mountains.
The train finally arrived at Arthur’s Pass - 737m above sea level (2,284ft) to get a few additional engines added for the final climb through the Otira tunnel.
From Arthur's Pass, the TranzAlpine descends through the 8.5km long Otira Tunnel. This landmark structure was the second longest tunnel in the world when it was completed in 1923. It's historic completion also marked the completion of the Midland Line and the opening of the railway line from Christchurch to Greymouth.
However we all got down at Arthur’s pass and boarded our bus to proceed for Franz Josef
No comments:
Post a Comment