12th February Transalpine KiwiRail

Transalpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth and back. At 8 o'clock we board the train and then we drive along the fertile plain along the Waimakariri River. In Springfield we go into the mountains and the Waimakariri Valley becomes narrower and deeper. Bright sunshine and the mountains on the right and left and the train winds its way through the middle. The landscape here is rather barren, lots of grass and bushes, fewer trees, but with many waterfalls that fall into valleys, where rivers carry stones and sediment into the turquoise water of the valley. That's the picture until Arthur's Pass. Arthur's Pass is the highest pass over the New Zealand Alps at 900 meters. Arthur's Pass was the only direct connection to the West Coast until 1923. The route was used by gold miners (around 1850) and coal miners. The steep path over the pass was very arduous, and wagons with provisions, goods, coal, and gold had to be transported over the pass with extreme effort. In May 1908, construction work began on a tunnel through the mountain. The tunnel is 8,554 meters long and has a gradient of about 1:33. The tunnel at Arthur's Pass is 250 meters higher than the tunnel exit at Otira, which is towards the West Coast. At that time, this tunnel was the longest tunnel in the world. Another special feature for that time was that the track through the tunnel was electrified because the exhaust gases of a steam locomotive could have caused poisoning in staff and passengers. Very revolutionary. Before the town of Arthur's Pass, at 740 meters, additional railcars are attached to give the train the necessary power to pass through the tunnel. After passing through the tunnel, we find a changed vegetation. First green, lush meadows, wide valleys with cows, reminiscent of our pre-Alpine region, then lush rainforest with dense bushes and trees. That's how we reach Greymouth, and after an hour's break, we head back to Christchurch.

Once we arrive, we have our sundowner at the bar 'Mr Brightside'. The sky is once again spectacular and the clouds are so clear that you could almost touch them. On the drinks menu, there is a phrase that couldn't fit better: 'Always look on the bright side of life' 🤩