This was another early start day where we had to walk about 10 minutes down to a pickup point (only to drive right pass our hotel as we headed to our first venue--the train.) Our tour for the day took us up to Arthur's Pass by train and then we had lunch and then took a van tour back down to Christchurch. This was the first of three train rides planned for our trip (when you love trains that is the geeky thing you do on vacations when you can.) It was another excellent tour and we heard and read and learn so many new things. Not that I can recall them all (for which I am sure you are grateful.) However, it is just exciting to learn about new places and things.)
 |
Standing in the look out car, I thought'
we needed a picture of the Halls containers
as we passed by |
A reminder in the open air car....
You get pretty wind blown in the open air car....Gary doesn't have that problem.
The Canterbury plains where crops, cattle, sheep, and deer are raised. This is the largest flat area of all of New Zealand--not surprising when your islands are built from volcanos and right on the fault lines between the Australian and Pacific plates.
And yes, deer farms...more on that story later.
Views from the train...we were on the mountain side so our neighbors ended up in many of our photos of the views to the downhill side...
There were a number of tunnels along the way as well.
Not the best photo, but you can see the shadow of the trestle we were on.
After passing through the plains, we entered into the mountain areas which brought us to the higher plains used mostly for sheep and cattle grazing. At some point, I heard someone say in the back of our train car: "I would think I was on a road trip through Utah." It did look exactly like that.
We got off at Arthurs Pass which is 737 meters above sea level. (2417 feet for us Americans.)
This is the road which continues through the mountains to the west coast of the South Island.
There was some waterfalls along this viaduct as well.
We were hoping to see some kea but no luck on this trip, although we heard them talking up in the hills. They have an interesting habit--they love the taste of rubber and will chew rubber off of cars anytime they get a chance. Edgings and window washer blades are favored targets although they will try tires if they need to. And they aren't too afraid of humans.
We took a small hike to a view area for another water fall. It was very beautiful and peaceful with the sounds of nature and water flowing.
Like in the beach, rocks are in abundance in the area. These mountains are volcanic in nature and rocks abound throughout the landscapes and come rushing down the rivers every spring.
In town after lunch, we walked down to a small Chapel which is famous for its view behind its pulpit. It has a waterfall.
Not quite as impressive as the Jerusalem Center, but beautiful nonetheless.
As we headed back to Christchurch, we stopped at this site which was where one of the battles in the Lord of the Rings was fought. The guide showed us a brief clip and it was fun to see the background as we stood in the area.
Due to the way that the islands were formed and the fact that they were underwater for thousands of years (who actually knows how long), big rocks were just left in all sorts of places and you can see how they have rolled down the hill as they broke into smaller pieces.
We took another hike in an area known for its large rock formations. It was amazing to see. It reminded me a bit of Craters of the Moon in Idaho.
Some later fall wildflowers
It is quite common to see pictures reminded people to not squat on the toilet seat. Many Eastern Asian countries prefer that method.
Why I took a picture of this particular sign was because of what was below that--Please flush toilet paper down the toilet. This was actually just a typical open pit toilet---no flushing involved! And there also were no garbage cans as an alternative either.
Just as we were leaving the rock hike area, we heard dogs barking and were able to briefly watch a man on a horse with his dogs herding these sheep together and heading up the hill. That is the down side of being on a tour. If Gary and I had been in a car, I would have asked him to pull over so we could watch the process longer. These sheep clearly were not ones that follow "the voice of their good shepherd." The dogs were clearly in charge to move them together and up the hill.
As we approached Christchurch, we drove through the town of Springfield, New Zealand. Apparently, due to the fact that they shared the name with the Springfield of "The Simpsons" fame...the city was gifted this donut in 2007 to promote The Simpson Movie. The original was destroyed by arson in 2009, but a concrete one was created in 2012 and has become a "quirky" landmark in this town who likes to be thought of as a fun, quirky place to visit (according to Google.)
Another great day, more views of this pretty and friendly country. We had Thai food again at the place around the corner from the hotel and were in bed by 9:30 again after getting our stuff packed up. Another early morning tomorrow.....
