We had to arise early today, because the train to Greymouth leaves at 8.15 and you have to arrive at least 20 minutes beforehand. So a shuttle bus picked us up at 7.30. The station is about a 15 or 20 minute walk away, but if you have luggage, even just overnight bags, being picked up is better!
The train has outdoor viewing platforms, and it is sensible to use them if you can, because there are too many reflections if you try to take pictures through the windows.
I went to the rear viewing platform as soon as we approached the mountains, though I nearly froze to death. It was not a very warm day in Christchurch to begin with, and much colder in the mountains. Also, it is very windy on the viewing platform, and you need to hold on because otherwise you fall over. And the metal rails are very cold. Still, at least it wasn't raining!
The train follows the course of the Waimakariri River, which is ice-fed. Once you leave the coastal plains, it begins to cut into its bed, though at this stage it is still slow and braided.
As you climb higher, the gorge is cut deeper; the train uses the river valley, so there are superb views of the river as it gathers strength and boils and gushes well below.
Eventually you reach a plateau. The snow-covered mountains can be seen in the distance, and on the plateau are occasional lakes.
Eventually the train arrives at Arthur's Pass, which was originally a Maori travel route, but was named after Arthur Dobson who led the first party of Europeans over it in 1864
My picture isn't a particularly good one, but it does show the snow on the mountains and a few of the shivering people!
The train passes Lake Brunner, the largest lake in the area, which is very popular for fishing and water sports.
The weather had started to improve slightly, but I was too thoroughly chilled by then after a couple of hours outside, and was sitting inside.
The train takes four and a half hours to get to Greymouth, which is a small town of only a few streets. We planned to spend the night here before setting off on the afternoon train back to Christchurch tomorrow.
We wandered the town, from which there are some interesting walks, some of which we plan to do tomorrow. There is a remarkable smell of burning coal in the town; this is a coal mining area, and many people still burn coal. Our hotel, which was built in 1905 and still has many period features, certainly does. There is a heating pipe from floor to ceiling in the corridor outside our room, which seems to be directly connected to the fire.
We walked along the Flood Wall, which was built for flood protection.
This picture looks inland, and is taken from the top of the Flood Wall. Before the wall was built, Greymouth was often flooded by the River Grey. In 1988, it was flooded twice, and the water rose to 1.5 metres in the bar of our hotel, which is just across the road from the wall.
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