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Part 7 of 7New Zealand's South Island, 2019

The TranzAlpine, at last

Returning the cars in Greymouth, and the one thing I had asked for on this trip: the TranzAlpine across the South Island to Christchurch.

By Thawaio1 min read1–2 December 2019 · Greymouth to Christchurch

A railway platform with a red-trimmed canopy and a sign reading "Greymouth", beside the track, with parked cars at the left, a red warehouse building at the right and a forested hill under grey cloud.
Greymouth Railway Station, 1 December.

My one request

Everyone in our two families had their own ideas about the places they wanted to see and the things they wanted to do on this holiday, and I was happy to go along with them. I had only one particular request: I wanted to ride the TranzAlpine.

The idea came from Switzerland. In 2018, I had travelled on the Bernina Express, and that made me want to take the TranzAlpine in New Zealand. The others agreed to include it. For me, it was not just a way of getting from Greymouth back to Christchurch. It was the part of the trip I had been looking forward to.

Greymouth

My photographs from the morning of 1 December are from around Greymouth, by the coast.

Large grey rocks on a breakwater, with a “Danger: hazardous area, no entry” sign and a small white beacon, and the sea under heavy grey cloud.
The breakwater at Greymouth, 1 December.

Our two rental cars were due back at Greymouth Railway Station at noon. The train was scheduled to leave Greymouth at 2:05 in the afternoon and to reach Christchurch at 6:31 in the evening.

A wide grey river with a small boat on it, a long low bridge and a steep green hill on the far side under grey cloud.
The river at Greymouth.

As a passenger

Since we picked up the cars in Christchurch, I had been one of the two drivers. On the train, for the first time on the trip, I could simply sit back and enjoy the scenery, without having to concentrate on the road. The scenery was very beautiful.

Home

That night, we stayed in Christchurch. The next day, 2 December, we flew home with Qantas, from Christchurch to Melbourne and from Melbourne to Singapore.