Spirit of the Antipodes Day 10

How many photos do you need of one spectacular mountain?  

The answer is, as many as you can get before it disappears from view. 

This morning we said farewell to our unique chalet-style accommodation in the ski fields town of Ohakune, at the foot of Mt Ruapehu, which was looking  particularly magnificent in the morning light with its dusting of snow. 

As the railway line twisted and turned we were afforded views of Ruapehu from many different aspects, so the first part of the trip was spent dashing from one side of the carriage to the other to capture this and other scenic views. 

While I was doing this in the relative comfort of our favourite old wooden carriage, Wallsy was again collecting smuts and braving tunnels out on the observation platform. 

We were soon at the Tangiwai Viaduct over the Whangaehu River which was the scene of the Christmas Eve rail disaster in 1953 where some 151 lives were lost, and Mt Raupehu was lost from sight. 

The next significant landmark was the Waiouru Bank, which involved a significant climb to the highest station on the main trunk line. 

Coming down from Waiouru we wound through the valley of the Hautapu River before arriving at the Turangaarere Horseshoe Curve where we doubled back on ourselves and continued to follow the course of the Hautapu. 

At Taihape we had a water stop for the steam loco before making our way into the Rangitikei River valley and a series of spectacular viaducts spanning the valley. First was the Toi Toi Viaduct, followed by Rangitikei North Viaduct, Kawhatau Viaduct and finally in this sequence, the Rangitikei South Viaduct, providing stunning views of the valley floor up to 78 metres below the line. 

Further on we passed through the Managweka tunnel and across the Makohine Viaduct before reaching Marton, where we had a brief stop to load our lunches and sadly wave steam locomotive Passchendaele goodbye as it headed towards Fielding, and we set off behind the diesel engines. 

Back into grassy open pasture land on the Whangaehu River flats we passed fields of grazing cattle and sheep before we entered the 2km long Turakina tunnel, followed quickly by the Fordell Tunnel at 1.46km in length. 

We sat for a brief while, sipping our post-lunch Rose, while we waited for another train to clear the line just outside Whanganui. 

Once across the Whanganui River we commenced a steep climb (with a gradient of 1:38), one of the steepest in the North Island.

There were several delays on the afternoon trip, waiting for other trains to pass. As a result where we had been ahead of schedule earlier in the day, we gradually fell behind time, which meant those of us in the wooden carriages were asked to again move forward into the ‘tinnies’ so the train didn’t have to contend with speed restrictions associated with having passengers in the wooden carriages at the back of the train. 

At the point when we crossed the Patea River mouth, it was 3:30pm and I was ready for a doze as I tried to focus on my new audio book. Another trip through with the refreshment trolley yielded another Rose as we sat, again waiting for a goods train outside Hawera, near the Whareoa milk factory. 

There was an old and attractive bridge at Te Roti junction, over the Waingongoro River as we approached cloud-shrouded Mt Taranaki and tried in vain to capture a clear photo of the mount. 

I may have to rewind my audio book tomorrow as I fear I did eventually fall asleep for a short while and woke to find we were finally approaching New Plymouth, our home for the next two nights. The train took us right along the foreshore and stopped opposite our hotel. We were met and welcomed by the hotel’s general manager and ushered across the road by a staff member. We certainly got the VIP treatment. 

The evening was ours to do as we wished, so Wallsy and I found an Italian restaurant next door to the hotel, where we enjoyed a tasty meal before taking ourselves off for a brisk sunset walk along the coastal walkway.