The Adventure List continued...

 Tranz Alpine Express

This train runs between Christchurch and Greymouth and starts off in Christchurch at sea level on the east coast and travels through the mountains of the South Island to a height of approx 790m then descends to Greymouth where it ends off at sea level on the west coast of the Island.

The travel time is about 4 hours and it travels to Greymouth and back in the same day every day.

I would like to take advantage of traveling on this train and I am planning that we will drive up to Arthur's Pass from Christchurch and catch the train there for a return trip to Greymouth.  

Arthur's Pass is a small village within the Arthur's Pass National Park.  I hope to go on some hikes with Tegan while there; in New Zealand a trail is called a track and hiking is called tramping or trekking.  In Greymouth, we will likely stay a day to get some time with the locals and explore a little of the coastline.  I did some research and came up with a brewery tour of Monteith's Brewing Company.

Just south of Greymouth is the town of  Hokitika where you can view glowworms at night.  

"On the edge of town is a charming dell with a natural archway of trees. Millions of sparkling lights make an unforgettable sight."

If we want to we can also add on the trip to see the famous Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier.  It would require booking with a tour company like Kea West Coast Tours or traveling with the van from Arthur's Pass on our own.


This will be such a great opportunity to see important sights of the South Island.