KiwiRail | Fotoeins Fotografie

Seaward Kaikoura mountain range, on KiwiRail Coastal Pacific train, Picton to Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday: RTW10, twenty-eight

10 years ago, I began an around-the-world (RTW) journey lasting 389 consecutive days, from 24 December 2011 to 15 January 2013 inclusive.

14 July 2012.

It’s the slow measured surface journey from Wellington to Christchurch. After the morning passage across Cook Strait to Picton, I hop on board Kiwi Rail’s Coastal Pacific for the southbound train along the South Island’s east coast. The train includes covered open-air cars for a very breezy view of the surrounding landscape. Shortly before arrival in Kaikoura, I look back to the northwest for a view of the mountains in the Seaward Kaikoura Range; these mountains are considered the northern tip of the Southern Alps (Kā Tiritiri o te Moana).

I made the image on 14 Jul 2012 with a Canon EOS450D (Rebel XSi) and these settings: 1/400-sec, f/4.5, ISO400, and 30mm focal length (48mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-mei.

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.

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New Zealand: Coastal Pacific train from Picton to Christchurch

Previously: on board the Interislander ferry to cross New Zealand’s Cook Strait from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on the South Island.

There are cheaper or faster ways to travel between Wellington and Christchurch. But I love boats, and I love trains. So, an alternative is a trip with KiwiRail Scenic Journeys, combining boat and train. After 3.5 hours, the ferry across Cook Strait arrives in Picton at 1140am. I make my way out of the ferry terminal, and walk the short path to the train station nearby. My luggage on the ferry is automatically transferred onto the train, as I’ve paid for both legs of the trip in its entirety.

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New Zealand: Interislander Ferry across Cook Strait

The calendar page flips over to the 14th of July (2012).

I’ve spent a quiet week with friends in Wellington, New Zealand, and it’s time I head south to see Te Wai Pounamu or the South Island for the first time. My first destination is Christchurch, and I could fly there. But I’m in no hurry, and I want to experience the scenery route with a ferry across Raukawa Moana, otherwise known as Cook Strait.

I’ve arranged passage from Wellington on the North Island (Te Ika a Maui) to Christchurch on the South Island with ferry- and coach-service with KiwiRail. The journey begins with the Interislander ferry whose arrival is timed to match the departure time of the Coastal Pacific train leaving Picton for Christchurch.

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