January 5, 2009 – Christchurch to Franz Joseph

We took the Tranzalpine Express train from Christchurch to Greymouth. Again, amazing scenery. Breathtaking views of the mountains. Beautiful valleys. Many sheep and cattle. Huge rivers and great history as provided by the train conductor. At Arthur’s Pass, a small stop on the way, we learned that the town receives approximately 25 feet of rain per year. Greymouth is a quiet port city on the Tasman Sea. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed whitebait fish, hamburgers, salad, etc. It looked like a neat place.

We continued on a wild ride in the bus to Franz Joseph. The bus driver clearly knew the road well and drove the bus pretty hard. To say the least, it impacted the travel scrabble game as people and the game board (and letters) went flying a couple of times. We enjoyed dinner at The Landing – a local restaurant recommended by the Glenn Fern Villas hotelkeepers – Sue and Roger, and by the taxi driver - Murray. A good recommendation. We enjoyed lamb pizza and lamb salad. I highly recommend the Glenn Fern Villas in Franz Joseph.

Now reading “Moneyball.” I recommend it to all.