We arose at 5.30 this morning, since our pickup arrived at 6.30 - check-in time at the station was 6.40. So we were somewhat bleary eyed as we boarded the train. We did better than some people; one couple we met on the train whose hotel was much further away from the station had to get up at 4.30.
Our journey began on the Canterbury plains again, but we were soon surrounded by the most beautiful green rolling hills and lots of sheep.
We also continued to get lovely views of various braided rivers.
The train noise out on the viewing deck was so loud that it wasn't possible to hear the train manager's commentary, so I don't know their names. If I stayed in the carriage to hear what he said I couldn't have taken any pictures; it was a very bright day and the reflections on the window glass made pictures from inside the carriage impossible.
Some of the higher hills were covered in gorse which was in bloom and made a beautiful sight. Apparently the gorse, which is an introduced plant, is a real problem as it takes over the area and crowds out the native vegetation, but at this time of year it turns the hills gold and looks amazing.
Around 9.15, we started to get views of the sea, as the railway line passes close beside the beach. Sometimes, it is close enough for people on the viewing deck to get wet if the sea is rough. We had wonderful views of the sea with the backdrop of mountains with snow still on the slopes.
We stopped at Kaikoura, which is famous for whale watching, and the station is right on the beach, but we were asked to stay on the platform as the train only stopped for 5 minutes. There were further views of sea and mountain, until eventually we approached Picton. There were views of the bay, with salt pans in front. New Zealand gets a lot of its salt from here.
The weather was bright and hot in Picton, where we had just over an hour to wait until we could board the ferry. We had a quick bite to eat, then wandered down to the harbour, which was very pretty. We watched a seaplane land, and I did get two pictures, in both of which the plane is so tiny you might mistake it for a mosquito on my lens.
We boarded the ferry, and the first part of the journey was very scenic, with the ferry threading its way between islands whose steep green slopes fell straight to the waterline.
Once we were out at sea, we both fell asleep, and only woke in time to see the ferry entering Wellington harbour. We are staying a day in Wellington, before continuing on to Auckland on Tuesday. It's a 12 hour train journey - we aren't sure we will enjoy that.
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