April 23, 2019 / Wellington → Christchurch
Showers were back in Wellington as I made my way from my B&B hotel to the inter islander ferry terminal taking Uber once again. Check-in was simple, much like in an airline terminal, but more friendly and easy going. No security checks on the way! My suitcase was checked directly to Christchurch.
Interislander ferry runs from Wellington in North Island to Picton in South Island. At Picton, I was transferring to Coastal Pacific, a scenic train run by Kiwi Rail. Crossing the Cook strait is a 3.5 hour journey and is supposed to be really beautiful. Unfortunately, when I did the crossing, it was raining, with heavy fog, thick clouds and low visibility.
My ferry, Kaitaki, Maori for Challenger, was more like a ship. There were 10 levels. Bottom levels housed the ship engine, vehicles and a movie / cinema theater. Levels 7 & 8 were for passenger seating, cafeterias and bars. Kaitaki is the largest ferry running between the islands, capable of transporting 1650 people. Other ferries are much smaller and can do between 500 and 600 people.
For a nominal fee of NZ$20, I upgraded myself to the Queen’s lounge that offered reserved seating and quiet from the bustling noise outside.
With the rains, it proved difficult to use the observation deck at level 10. Half hour into the sea, I checked out deck 10 again. It was extremely windy and the sea was choppy. The 21 mph winds (force 5 winds at ~18 knots) was strong enough to make it hard to walk the deck and click some photos. The only saving grace was that it wasn’t raining at that time.
The inclement weather did not stop many travelers from taking photographs along the crossing, even if they were shrouded in fog and dark low clouds. The scenery improved just a tad as we pulled into the picturesque Picton harbor.
Disembarking Kaitaki, I walked into the town and Picton railway station to collect the boarding pass for my train journey. It was convenient to have the luggage checked through, obviating the need for me transfer it from the ferry terminal to the train station.
After collecting the boarding pass for Coastal Pacific, I had little more than hour to walk around the small town of Picton. That is something that can be accomplished in a short order of time as the town, railway station and everything was small, compact & beautiful. I got a much better picture of Kaitaki from the shore with better lighting & without rains.
Coastal Pacific was a cool looking train with two passenger coaches with a cafe coach in between. The luggage car was at the end and while the train had an observation car, it was closed today – apparently because of passengers not following safety instructions from the crew.
After boarding, I met Pat, a 66 year old lady from Dunedin. We struck a great conversation on NZ travels. She made the point that discovering NZ is incomplete without going all the way south to Invercargill, the southern most point in South Island. We were both lamenting that we got aisle seats but it didn’t make a whole lot of difference as the windows were real wide and it’s hard to keep the scenery away as long as you keep your eyes open.
The train pulled out the station on time with scheduled stops at Blenheim and Kaikoura. Blenheim is known as the sunshine capital of New Zealand for the 2500 hours of sunshine it receives each year.
The rail tracks ran parallel to Hwy 1 South. Even though the same thing was true of my Auckland to Wellington bus trip, there is a distinct charm to being in a train with roadway on the side and seeing vehicles run alongside. Initially, the scenic journey goes by vineyards, hillsides with lush green cover and salt ponds that account for more than 50% of New Zealand’s salt requirements.
The train then joined the pacific coast which borders the tracks for the next 100 kms. The nearest landmass on the other side of the ocean is the Chilean coast side, more than 5600 miles away.
The journey by the pacific coast was extraordinarily beautiful. There were long stretches when the tracks ran right by the black sand beaches and rocks on the ocean.
The 1/2 hour journey prior to reaching Kaikoura takes the cake for the best part of the this trip. The train goes right by the ocean with the waves crashing on the rocks in the beach. In addition, sea lions were basking in the evening sun on those rocks, taking me right back to scenes of the pacific from California coasts.
You will have an opportunity to step out of the train at Kaikoura. If you do, you can walk up to the beach and get a chance to enjoy the snow covered alps and the rustic beach. Kaikoura is a popular tourist resort for marine mammal watching – whales, dolphins and seals, coastal walks and the seaside town’s specialty – crayfish.
Continuing south, the train passes through 21 tunnels between Kaikoura and Claverly, the longest one almost a km long. In a short while, with the light fading, the train left the coast and moved inland. Through the train journey, activated by GPS, the audio comes alive on the headsets giving a narrative of the history of the place the train was passing by.
Coastal Pacific pulled into Christchurch 15 minutes ahead of schedule. After collecting my checked bag from the conveyor belt right by the platform, I hailed an Uber ride to my hotel.
