Coastal Pacific (Christchurch Wellington)

Vicky and I checked in at the Around The World Backpackers. It turned out to be a small but very nice hostel.

I helped Vicky getting her trip to Kaikoura and back organized, booked a taxi for the next morning at 6.10 am and then we walked to the next supermarket to buy a few things for dinner. Getting there took us a while, especially because we ran into a fence and had to walk around a block because of that, thanks to the earthquakes. Eventually we managed to get there, buy a few things and walk back.

Cooking dinner we soon realized that there where mostly Germans in this hostel. They where talking about trips in Australia and stuff. For us experienced travellers it was quite funny to listen. Anyway, they where nice company while we ate.
There was an amp and some speakers set up, ready with the correct cable to play music. I hooked up my phone and started my good mood playlist 🙂

I didn’t stay up too late that night. The next morning we had to get up at half past 5 to get our taxi to the train station in time. I was going all the way to Wellington, Vicky half the way to Kaikoura. We shared the taxi and travelled on the train together.

The train was the “Coastal Pacific” between Christchurch and Picton, one of the 3 tranzscenic railway lines in New Zealand. It consisted of a luggage carriage, a seating carriage, a cafe/restaurant carriage, another seating carriage and an open air carriage in the end. The seating carriages looked very nice with huge windows everywhere, wooden elements and screens showing your current location. There was heaps of space for your legs, power sockets and headphones to listen to a commentary on the places you travel through. It was amazing!

The open air carriage allowed us to get some fresh air and take photos without reflections from the windows.

Another passenger found out that you can turn the seats 180° around. Vicky and I turned ours only 90° so we could watch out the windows more easily. It wasn’t intended for that use, but we liked it 😀

We had a ball on this train ride. The train was awesome, the scenery beautiful. Vicky gathered as much information as possible from me about the places in Australia she is going to next and I was happy to talk about all that I had seen and done. It helped me realize what awesome trip I have had.

In Kaikoura we had so say goodbye, which was a bit sad. We got along so well and it was awesome travelling together, but our different plans didn’t allow us to spend anymore time together. So Vicky left the train and I stayed on, it couldn not have been more tacky for a goodbye 😉

I travelled the other half up to Picton and made use of the awesome train by writing my previous blogpost. Of course I also watched the scenery and took more photos.

When I arrived in Picton I left the train and walked over to the ferry terminal, my luggage was transported for me automatically. I checked in at the counter and asked for my St. Kilda scarf that I had forgotten on the ferry the previous week. I had already called the terminal and arranged to pick it up this day. I was very happy to get it back 😀

The ferry ride was nice. Once we got out to the open sea the ferry started rocking heavily, much more than on my previous trip. It was funny walking along with the front of the ferry going up and down several meters. The waves didn’t look that big so I was impressed by how much it lifted the ferry up, but that’s science. The frequency of the waves accumulate in the rocking of the boat somehow.

I saw many people holding spew-bags, but luckily nobody that actually vomitted. I was fine anyway 🙂 I had some lunch at the restaurant then sat down at the bar area and watched some episodes of Sanctuary on my laptop.

At the arrivals terminal in Wellington I picked up my luggage and walked over to the taxi area. The drivers of the different taxis and airport shuttles where all waving and trying to get me driving with them which was quite funny. Because I was not going to the airport though I took a taxi and not a shuttle. I had an indian driver who had been living in New Zealand for 40 years, so he said.

The ride from the terminal to my hostel was NZD 21.20. He could not change my $100 note and did not have eftpos either, so he told me to ask at reception for change. When I came back he had the next customer already sitting in the car and told me to just give im $20. I did that, grabbed my luggage and he took off. A bit dodgy, but it got me there for a fair price. And so I checked in at Base Wellington.

“Christchurch to Wellington, the best train ride ever!”

From 2012-05-04 Coastal Pacific. Posted by Philipp Hübner on 5/05/2012 (36 items)