Spirit of the Antipodes Day 17

 There had been a lot of wind through the night and when we woke this morning it was obvious the change had arrived, bringing grey skies and a smattering of rain. 

Today our group was divided into those continuing by rail back to Hamilton, Pukekohe, or Glenbrook, and those travelling to Wellington by coach. 

There were approximately 20 in the Wellington coach. Leaving about 50 on the train. 

Although it was quite a bit cooler today, Wallsy and I again opted for one of the wooden carriages as we boarded at Palmerston North. These are much less airtight than the ‘tinnies’, but ironically, the older seats are more comfortable. 


The journey was retracing lines we had already travelled, so the weather not being conducive to good photography didn’t really matter too much. The day was spent listening to my audio book, reading my kindle, or just gazing out the window, interrupted only by the arrival of the morning tea and coffee trolley, the delivery of our lunches, and the rattle of the afternoon wine trolley. 


Although we had already been on this line, we had been travelling in the opposite direction, so it was interesting to see the gorges, viaducts and views from the other way. We also noticed that all the rivers we crossed were flowing faster and carrying more water than when we travelled up a few days ago. Wallsy didn’t spend much time on the viewing platform today due to the inclement weather, but he managed a few brief visits and got some good photos, which were much better than any I tried to snap through the dirty and wet train windows. 









We all moved into the metal carriages after the stop for passengers to disembark at Hamilton, so we could travel faster and as a result we arrived into our stop at Pukekohe, almost half an hour early. However, by the time everyone was off the train and on the coach, or had collected their luggage from the coach because they were making their own way from there, it was 6:15 before we were able to depart for our hotel drop offs. Traffic, roadworks and wet weather meant we didn’t reach our airport hotel until 7:30, fortunately there is a restaurant here, so we have dined and are ready for a good night’s sleep. 

As we journeyed today, knowing the tour was coming to an end, we discussed the highlights, the things that could have been improved and what we had enjoyed most about the trip, compared to other rail journeys we have done. I think Wallsy nailed it when he summed it up as a trip designed for people who enjoy rail travel with the added bonus of some quirky and interesting side trips. 


The tour leaders, Alan and Sean, were very knowledgeable and provided interesting commentary along the way. The train crew provided a great service, fulfilling many different roles each day. Our fellow travellers were friendly and generally easy going - a combination of New Zealanders, Aussies, and 1 Spaniard, and despite a few minor accidents, there were no serious injuries or problems. 

All in all it has been thoroughly enjoyable. 


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