New Zealand Day 11

New Zealand   Day 11   28.01.14

Got up early to get the TranzAlpine Train across the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth.  This is a steam train across central South Island.  It has normal train seats and also an open sided viewing platform.  Great for taking photos but very grubby hair , skin and clothes after.  Again some fabulous views across the Alps.  

The river valleys are very different.  The rivers are often braided and run along a wide stony channels and not in our usual narrower river banks.  Most rivers that we have seen are also a turquoise green colour due to fine glacial silt.

When we got to Greymouth we picked up another car a Toyota RAV4 this time in red and continued down to Franz Josef Village near to the Franz Josef glacier.  The west coast is different from the east coast with sub-tropical forest along the roads , indeed it extends up to the glacier area.  The place except for South America you can find it happening.

When we were driving we came across an unusual road / train way.  Yes the road shares the bridge with a railway.  I kept looking behind !

Glacier country tomorrow, yet another different type of scenery.