It's just after 7 on a cool bright morning with a promising forecast, and we'll be in the same room tonight. No need to pack for a journey today - just a small day bag with vittles, sun screen, sufficient layers and other glacier necessities for the all day guided walk.
Andy's already out. He left at 5:30 to cycle to Lake Matheson to catch the sunrise. Really looking forward to seeing those photos.
So, what to say about the trip so far. Readers won't be surprised to hear that the journey from Monyash to the hostel in Christchurch was looooooong. The flight to Dubai was fine, but we lost time on the next leg of the journey and never made up the time. Bangkok was a bit disorganised. We had to walk a lot further than we thought necessary, and there were no services at the gate. And we couldn't get online to behave like phone-addicted kids despite there being several available networks. Sydney was easey-peasey by comparison - though expensive, even for an airport. Christchurch took a bit of time to get through. Passport control took maybe 40 minutes, then we needed to go through bio-security/quarantine inspection because we had walking boots. Andy picked up a New Zealand SIM then we got the bus to Bealey Avenue and we were finally there, after 37 hours door to door.
Walked into Christchurch, as far as Cathedral Square. During our pre-trip research, someone suggested to us that Christchurch is like a building site. We found it like a quiet building site. Maybe Monday evenings are quiet - though more likely we were just not in the busy bits. But the description was right - signs of construction everywhere. We ate in a cheerful Chinese then walk back a different way to the hostel.
Next morning, it was up early to make our date with the TranzAlpine. We walked, 4-5 km, with our full rucksacks. We went through Hagley Park and part of the Botanic Gardens. They deserved more time, but we had a train to catch. Maybe when we get back to Christchurch at the end of next week.
What to say about the TranzAlpine?
Well, it definitely goes up to 11. The carriages are bright and clean and the seats are roomy. Really big windows affording great views. There's a viewing car at the front with open sides above waist height. There are ceiling mounted screens at regular intervals with a map showing progress and position, with commentary available (complimentary headsets provided) triggered by position.
I started this post Wednesday morning, but here we are on Thursday after a brilliant long day yesterday, so I'll save this for now and start a new post to get us from leaving the train (at Arthur's Pass) to Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson.
Photos show the Southern Alps as seen from the flight in, then two daft blokes on the TranzAlpine.
TTFN
No comments:
Post a Comment