Day 80: The TranzAlpine to Greymouth, NZ (March 28, 2011)

What's that, you say? You never heard of Greymouth? Well it is the westernmost stop on the TranzAlpine railway line, one of the three passenger railway lines in New Zealand -- the one that runs west from Christchurch across the Southern Alps, the mountain range in NZ's south continent. Greymouth is a pretty small town, and seems to be made up almost entirely of backpacker hotels and coffee shops, with a few walking trails thrown in for exercise. I arrived at about 1 and walked around from about 2 until 5. My guess is this is a common stop for people travelling on the west coast of the South Island, but isn't much of a destination itself. But it's OK, I'll be here for 24 hours before moving on.

View of Greymouth from the overlook walking trail.

Old bridge supports in the river.  I thought they were cool.

Anyway, the real point of today's trip was the train ride itself, which is supposedly the most beautiful in New Zealand. See for yourself:

There were several spots where the clouds hovered somewhere between the ground and the mountaintops.

I was planning to ride one of the other three lines a few days from now, from Christchurch to Picton, where I will catch the ferry to the North Island. But it is still closed because of the recent earthquake. So I'll have to take the bus instead.

It wasn't a tour, but the conductors give commentaries about the sights along the way.

Back to Greymouth and specifically, the hotel I'm staying at. I've now stayed at a number places that are called, interchangeably it seems, hostels or backpacker's hotels. They are all inexpensive compared to other hotels but are no-frills. Linens only get changed when you check out, and sometimes you have to bring your own or rent towels. They are most well-known for the dorm room, which sleep between 4 and 10, depending on where you stay, but most of them also have private rooms for a bit more money, although you usually have to share a bathroom. (I've been staying in private shared-bathroom rooms. I can't afford real hotels, but I also don't want to deal with packs of drunk college kids all night. That might be more of a stereotype than the reality, though.)

All of these places have kitchens where guests can bring and cook their own food, and are supposed to (and usually do it seems to me) clean up after themselves as well. Tonight there was a group of 5 young people in the common room, who'd all pitched in to cook this elaborate dinner of pasta, homemade sauce, vegetables, etc. That wasn't the first time I'd seen people put a lot of effort into their hostel dinner, and makes me wonder how long they stay at each place. I go to groceries or bakeries, but I don't waste my time getting a bunch of food I really have to prepare myself. Then again, I've always been content with eating an apple and bagel for dinner, so I wonder why anyone would go through that hassle night after night.

I'm not sure why hostels aren't more popular in the States. Or are they, and I just have no idea? No, they can't be. I've walked around enough downtown streets, I'd surely have seen some. And they are always downtown, where people can walk to the major sights and public transportation.

That was kind of rambling. Maybe because my day felt kind of rambling: A long train ride then a long meander around town. My next three days will be more rambling, all via buses in a circle around the South Island. As always, I'll post when I can, but my schedule will be weird and the internet in New Zealand is not as wide-spread as I expected. Maybe because, I am told, users are charged by the megabyte, so it's hard for businesses to give it away free or cheap.

Oh last thing... As I was choosing what photos to upload, I came across a few of nearby rock formations, where it's clear the land was once flat, then was pushed upwards at an angle.  Between my trip last summer to Yellowstone, The Badlands, Craters of the Moon, and Glacier National Forest, and this trip, I'm seriously thinking of making geology my new hobby.  I'm not that into rocks, but I've really been fascinated at learning how the earth moves and grows.  Not that I know what a hobby geologist does ...  Anyone?