This morning we were picked up by Linda, our driver and guide for transport to Greymouth where we would board a train bound for Christchurch.
We departed Franz Josef around 9:30 AM and headed north. This would be a ride through the New Zealand countryside and along the coast. En-route we stopped in Hokitika a coastal city noted for the upcoming "Wild Foods Festival"; while there, shopping opportunities presented themselves resulting in "green stone" purchases amongst the group. Unfortunately we will miss by only a few days the opportunity to sample various bugs, critters and who knows, maybe even gourmet roadkill at the festival. Continuing on we arrived in Greymouth where we checked our baggage onto the TranzAlpine train before heading over Speight's Ale House for lunch.
Our train departed Greymouth around 1:30 PM for a 5 hour ride through the Southern Alps to Christchurch. En-route we traveled through the Otiri tunnel before stopping at Arthur's Pass. The train then followed the Waimakariri River through the farmland of the Canterbury Plains arriving in Christchurch around 6 PM.
After checking in to The George Hotel we had drinks and dinner including a nice grilled flounder dish.
Unfortunately, with our late arrival and an early departure tomorrow we would not have time to explore the city of Christchurch. During our brief time driving to and from the rail station we did not see any of the earthquake damage, nevertheless, in speaking with the drivers and hotel staff it was clear that the recent disasters have left much of the old downtown sections of the city in ruins and have also resulted in many of the local residents moving on to other parts of New Zealand or even to Australia for employment.
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