I am used to right hand driven cars, but it is like playing in a different league to move a right hand driven camper properly. Especially when jet lagged.
I avoided renting the Camper immediately. Giving me some time to better adjust and have the brain work at normal „processor rate.“

Today I jumped on a train. The route is advertised as the most scenic train ride in the world. That sets expectations, especially if experienced the Bernina Express in Switzerland already.

NZ has basically three attractive routes.

TranzAlpine on the South Island (Christchurch -Greymouth)
Tranz Coastal on the South Island. (Christchurch - Picton)
Overlander on the North Island (Wellington - Auckland)

The TranzAlpine is the choice of today.




Weather forecast is overcast skies for the morning, sun and scattered clouds for the early afternoon and light rain for the evening.
Not really the day for a scenic train ride, but as the jet lag is active right now and as Christchurch is closed. Let’s see what the day offers.
A lot of folks are on the train. Many hikers, who will jump-off at Arthur’s Pass, but also tourists and Kiwis, who are doing day trips.
Departure is at 8:15 am from Christchurch Train Station. Return will be around 6:15 pm.
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Canterbury is presenting itself with highly accurate clipped hedges, with poplar tree alleys and with a mostly flat surrounding up to the base of the Southern Alps.
Contrasting to this garden like and well-cultured look, rivers are left untamed, take and change their way as the ground forces them.



Together that forms a unique view of the NZ landscape in general and of Canterbury in special.
Wide stoney river beds formed in years are either showing a trickle or a stream - dependent on the time of the year. In all cases due to the wide river bed it is most of the time shallow water.
The Weimarakiri River is the biggest river on the South Island. It flows in West-East direction from the Alps into the Pacific near Christchurch.
The train track crosses and meets Waimarakiri River several times before it climbs after the climax at Arthur’s Pass down to Greymouth in the West located at Tasman Sea. The West is the rain forest and glacier area. I will be here again soon.



The train track shows some very spectacular views of the river’s gorge. A pity that weather and the bumpy track didn’t allow to take more photos to bring the experience back to mind at some future time.

Greymouth is terminus for the route. The return trip starts one hour after arrival at 1:30.Enough time to have a comprehensive look around the town and a lunch at Speight’s Ale House - A chain of brewery restaurants on the South Island offering really good food and acceptably tasting beer (from a German perspective ).







So what is different to the Bernina Express?

The Bernina is a modern train on a smooth track.
The Tranz Alpine offers a bumpy ride, tough to get photos crisp and sharp. A pure, but appealing train experience.

The scenery is different.
Bernina runs through the Alps, mountains left and right & snow fields.
Tranz Alpine covers NZ Alps, river gorges, moon-like landscape when crossing wide river beds, rain forests & swamp area in the West.












Both rides are impressive - each one in their own right.
Incomparable.
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On the train I had first closer contact with locals. I could have easily listened to Chinese folks and wouldn’t have understood a word. But that language is supposed to be some sort of English?


I was about to give up understanding that one person, when he slowed down speaking - just a little bit- and selected more common words. I was starting to understand his words after I realized finally that the „e“ in almost of all cases is spoken like the letter itself. Like the „e“ in Steve. The most favorite word is s“e“ven. It almost sounds like its translation into German - „sieben“.
Just imagine how many „e“s are used in English. Go to New Zealand and you experience it.

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