This morning we awoke early, were driven to the train station and boarded a train to Greymouth, on the West Coast. This train is rated the sixth most scenic in the world. Unfortunately, due to track work, we could only take the train to Arthur Pass (about half way) and then switch to buses the rest of the way. This turned out not to be so bad as the train went through a mile long tunnel, while we got better views from the bus driving over the mountain, rather than through it. It was fabulously scenic, passing over the Southern Alps.
When we got to Greymouth (see map) we picked up our rental car and started driving south along the coast road toward Franz Josef Glacier (that’s the name of the town as well as the glacier). We stopped on the way at a little town called Hokitika, which is on the Tasman Sea and is a center for carving and jewelry making with special jade found only in the area, special colorful shells called Paua, and the very rare ruby rock. We went to the shop of the man who has all but cornered the market in these beautiful gemstones. Since they were gorgeus and contained rubies and the 40th is the ruby anniversary, well, Irith will blog about it tomorrow.
We then continued south to more mountains and checked in to our beautiful little bed and breakfast (Holly Homestead). Tomorrow we have a half day guided glacier adventure. Should have lots of great pictures for you.
Please notice the words above that are underlined and in a different color, indicating that they are links. Click on them for more about the things we are talking about.
Roger
Map of Our Trip Around the South Island
View of the Gorge from the Train
The Train and the Scenery
The Flowering Trees were in Full Bloom (with a Passing Cloud)