It's a pretty enough town with a big emphasis on taking people up to the glacier. All I cared about was getting some rest. The mountains in this part of the country are much higher and if they have tracks at all are climbing routes and well beyond my ability. The south to north thru-hike was officially dead and this gave me time to come up with a new approach.Once I had recovered I headed up the coast to Greymouth to take the Tranzalpine Train across the island to Christchurch. I had heard good things about it and was enough of a train nut to give it a try. Definitely a more passive group than the trampers but the scenery was amazing, a lush, wet valley that eventually climbed up to a long tunnel.
On the other side of the tunnel was a different ecosystem altogether. Much drier, a lot like the American west. The route from Arthur's Pass down to the coastal plain was the scenic highlight of the trip taking us over trestles, through tunnels and perched on the edge of mountains before reaching the coastal plain and speeding into Christchurch.Christchurch was a treat on a number of levels. It's a beautiful city but more than that it was a chance to see what a New Zealand city was like. Having seen the landscape it was interesting to see an urban center like Christchurch which serves as the main hub for the South Island. The other treat was going to the museums and seeing New Zealand through the eyes of its artists. While the major national museums were still to come in Wellington and Auckland, Christchurch was my first crack at New Zealand art.
