Dusty Soles

The TranzAlpine is a train journey (considered one among the four of the Great New Zealand Journeys ) from Christchurch to Greymouth, passing through the picturesque Canterbury plains and farms, rivers, valleys, and gorges, further climbing towards the pristine Southern Alps to Arthurs Pass National Park, descending into the rainforests in the West Coast and finishing off at Greymouth town. Greymouth is considered as a base for visits to some of the popular glaciers in South Island. So, our Tranz Alpine timetable looked something like this. We would catch the early morning train from Christchurch railway station, reach Greymouth town by noon, and head back to Christchurch by car, the whole journey taking a good 8-9 hours. The whole deal was in experiencing the train ride, the train itself boasted of cosy carriages, huge panoramic windows, not forgetting the on-board café with exciting items on the menu, and the GPS enabled audio commentary on headphones. I of course was looking f...