Train journey back on track
Cecile Meier boards KiwiRail’s Coastal Pacific, following work to repair the line damaged in the Kaiko¯ ura earthquake in 2016.
When I lived in Europe, travel by train was the norm. It was cheap, convenient and went pretty much anywhere. Since moving to New Zealand five years ago, I haven’t been on one.
Train tickets are more expensive here and it’s difficult to travel around without a car once you get to your destination. But I’ve been missing train travel, so boarding KiwiRail’s Coastal Pacific train in Christchurch for one of the most scenic trips in the country was a real treat.
The line to Picton had just reopened after extensive work to repair the damage it sustained in the magnitude-7.8 earthquake in November 2016.
Dozens of massive slips had covered the rail corridor and mangled large sections of the tracks.
The 335-kilometre train trip, which includes 22 tunnels and 175 bridges, takes a picturesque route along the coast via Kaiko¯ ura.
My husband, 3-year-old son and I checked our luggage and settled in to comfortable seats facing a central table. Our son let out little shrieks of excitement when the train started rumbling and the whistle blew. There is something calming about the sound of the wheels chugging along and I would happily have spent the whole trip admiring the scenery through the wide, panoramic windows but, alas, my son needed to move and explore.
The open carriage at the back and the restaurant wagon offered plenty of space to keep him busy on the six-hour journey.
About 50 minutes in, the industrial views of Christchurch’s suburbs turned into rolling hills in all shades of green. My son had fun spotting sheep, cows and hay bales through the Waipara valley.
An audio commentary available via earphones that plugged into the seat offered interesting titbits about some of the places we passed.
At Nonoti, we were told how the village accidentally got the name when the person tasked to name it protested: ‘‘No, not I’’.
The sun peeked through the clouds and brought some warmth inside the train – if you are planning to do the trip, make sure to pack extra layers as it can get chilly in there. The view became spectacular when we reached the coastline.
Shades of grey dominated the landscape on this rainy early summer day. I suspect the view is always interesting, no matter the weather. The rolling waves and the sea stretching to the horizon combined with the gentle rumbling of the train was soothing.
It was perfect timing to get a flat white from the restaurant carriage. We sat there for a while – there are fewer seats there so it felt airy and calm.
The road wasn’t all smooth – piles of gravel, orange cones, portable buildings, diggers and trucks were stark reminders of what has been achieved since the quakes, and what is still to be done. We noticed how the landscape had changed through coastal uplift, ground movement and slips caused by the earthquake.
At the south end of Pines Loop, where it used to be uninterrupted water, we caught sight of a wall of jagged rocks breaking a thin channel from the Pacific Ocean beyond. Movement along the Papatea fault line forced rock upwards at a rate of three kilometres a second, creating a new rock wall of about two metres where once there was sea.
From Pines Loop the route runs along 20km of huge landslips, which required the removal of more than 500,000 cubic metres of debris from the mountain side. Ohau Point was the site of the largest landslip along the route – areas that were previously covered in bush are now bare rock.
The train slowed down and ground to a halt a few times to request permission to go through work sites. Road workers, car drivers and even surfers waved at us along the way – everyone loves the train. Before the quakes, the service carried about 43,000 passengers during the summer travel season, who spent an estimated $35 million annually in the Marlborough-Kaiko¯ ura region.
Around midday we ordered lunch from the surprisingly varied restaurant menu – most of it from Wishbone. We went for slow-cooked lamb shanks with a couple of mini bottles of sauvignon blanc and macaroni and cheese for our son. It’s the best food and wine I have had on a train. As we crossed into Marlborough, the landscape changed. The view turned grey-pink through the salt plains at Lake Grassmere, then lush green again through the vineyards of the Awatere Valley.
We arrived in sunny Picton at 1.15pm and it felt like summer. When we board the train the next day at 2.15pm to go to Kaiko¯ ura, the cool, light-filled comfortable train is a relief from the hot sun in Picton. Those big windows are even more impressive on a sunny day with the light pouring in and the views stretching further.
The sea sparkles and the sky is blue, and you can smell the mist from the open-air carriage.
We spotted many fur seals lazing on the rocks, and soon we arrive in Kaiko¯ ura, where it’s grey and windy again.
We haven’t been in the town since before the quakes and I was pleasantly surprised to see it had not changed that much. The town is heavily reliant on tourism and struggled with low visitor numbers as the rail and road were repaired. But road traffic numbers have crept up to near pre-quake levels since State Highway 1 reopened late last year, even as repairs continued. Kaiko¯ ura businesses reported summer trading was similar to pre-quake levels after the highway reopened.
Sure, a few buildings were shored up in the main street, but the excellent fish and chips shop was still buzzing (and gave us one of our best meals of the trip – eaten on the beach, of course), tourists formed long lines at the whalewatching tour counter and cafes and restaurants were busy.
It was a real treat to step back on to the train back to Christchurch after a cold, rainy afternoon in Kaiko¯ ura. The restaurant wagon is heavenly with its hot drinks and treats, and you just want to sit and watch the world go by and let your mind go blank.
I overheard a Scottish crew member telling a couple of tourists how lucky he felt that he gets paid to be on the train every day, looking at some of New Zealand’s most beautiful scenery.
The great thing about travelling by train at different times of day and through different weather is that the landscape can change completely from dawn to dusk and from grey to resplendent green and sparkly blue.
It’s still light by the time we get to Christchurch at 8.30pm. If the trip was more affordable, I would take the train instead of the car every time.
You see the same landscapes but you get to relax, sip wine and read books instead of focusing on the road.