New Zealand: TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth
After experiencing various aspects of Christchurch (one, two, three, and four), it’s time to make the journey over to the muchly-anticipated Westland on the South Island of New Zealand.
KiwiRail’s TranzAlpine train departs Christchurch at 815am, and arrives in Greymouth at 1245pm. The return trip leaves Greymouth an hour later for Christchurch. (KiwiRail Scenic is now The Great Journeys of New Zealand.)
The Google map below shows the route of the train up and over the Southern Alps; the red and green markers indicate scheduled stops at Springfield and Arthur’s Pass, respectively. At an altitude of 920 metres (3020 feet), Arthur’s Pass is the highest pass to traverse the Southern Alps. Arthur’s Pass was well known to the Maori as an east-west route, long before surveyor Arthur Dudley Dobson found his way over the pass in 1864.
It’s interesting to note that this is my first of four crossings over the Southern Alps. The view from the train proves to be an “appetizer” for what was to come. During my three weeks on the South Island, I crossed the mountains once by train, twice on coach, and one time from the air.
+5C/40F, at 745am: gonna be a brisk winter morning through the Southern Alps
Covered open-air observation car
Torlesse mountain range
Canterbury region, from TranzAlpine train
Hills of the Torlesse, Canterbury
Scheduled stop in Springfield
Through the Torlesse Range: big fields, big peaks, big skies
Gated entry and huge tracts of land
Waimakariri River
Waimakariri River
Southern Alps
Upstream, Waimakariri River
Headwaters of Waimakariri River near Bealey just south of Arthurs Pass
Headwaters of the Waimakariri River
Just below Arthur’s Pass.
Arthur’s Pass.
Scheduled stop at Arthur’s Pass
The adjacent train
Otira
Down into Westland from Otira
Grey River (Mawheranui), Greymouth
Click on the arrow-window icon at the upper-left corner of the map below for the legend.
• Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton.
• KiwiRail Coastal Pacific train from Picton to Christchurch.
Disclosure: No Connection, Unpaid, My Own Opinions. I have not received compensation for this post, and I have no material connection to Great Journeys of New Zealand, Kiwi Rail, or Tourism New Zealand. I made all photos above on 18 July 2012. This post is published on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-274.
Fotoeins Fotografie 
8 Responses to “New Zealand: TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth”
[…] Read about how I traveled from Christchurch over to Greymouth here. […]
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[…] Pacific train from Picton to Christchurch along the Pacific coast. • my trip on the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth over the Southern […]
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[…] • Akaroa: Akaroa’s Long Harbour with special guests • Akaroa: La petite ville française de Akaroa • Christchurch: Christchurch’s changing Red Zone • Christchurch: Christchurch’s Art Gallery: glass and light • Dunedin: Baldwin Street, steepest in the world • Fiordland: Cruising up and down Milford Sound • Fox Glacier: The slow forest walk up to Fox Glacier • Franz Josef Glacier: The slow approach to Franz Josef Glacier • Interislander Ferry: On the ferry between the North and South Islands • Lake Matheson: What are the sounds of a New Zealand sunset? • Southern Alps: Flying over the South Island’s Southern Alps • Southern Alps: The Southern Alps at sunset, from Lake Matheson • Train: Coastal Pacific train, from Picton to Christchurch • Train: TranzAlpine train, from Christchurch to Greymouth […]
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[…] KiwiRail TranzAlpine from Christchurch to Greymouth – 18 Jul […]
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[…] Headwaters of Waimakariri River near Bealey, south of Arthur’s Pass […]
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[…] Near the headwaters of the Waimakariri River (HL). […]
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[…] • Population: village of 30, near 920-metre mountain pass in Southern Alps. • Getting there: Scheduled stop on TranzAlpine train, from Christchurch to Greymouth. • More here. […]
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[…] Near the headwaters of the Waimakariri River (HL). […]
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