Friday, February 12, 2010

The Nelson Rocket


Early this morning we left Christchurch and the beautiful Canterbury plains on the TranzAlpine railroad. What a beautiful 4 hour train ride through the southern Alps as they call it!

I should have some decent pictures to share. We stopped at our first National Park and travelled through the mountains and rivers to Greymouth.

There we boarded what would turn out to be the Nelson Rocket. That is what I nicknamed the InterCity bus ran by Abel Tasman Cruiselines.

The bus was manufactured by MAN but I think this one should have the N changed to a D.

Wildest bus ride I ever took!

That driver kept on hand on the wheel and the other on the 6 speed manual transmission navigating 328 kilometers of mountainous, treacherous, near the ocean drop offs at high speed. I mean high speed. It was hair raising!

Six hours later we landed and I mean landed in Nelson, New Zealand.

At one stop I went to the bathroom and had to hold onto the walls with a touch of vertigo.

Another out of body experience like that 12 hour jet ride to Auckland.

Whew!

We passed through another 3 national parks, it was beautiful but I am still a little giddy, even after a good dinner.

I don't think I will ever forget this day.

The Winkle's cruising by the Tasman Sea. Something I never ever thought would happen.

Ed

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