Leaving Franz Josef for Christchurch, New Zealand

Friday, February 14, 2020

Happy Valentine's Day!

     Today started out just beautiful.....sunny without a cloud in the sky - so we could see the glaciers really well from Franz Josef before we left for Greymouth.

 

 

 

      In Greymouth we boarded the Trans Alpine Train which would take us to Christchurch.

 

 

 

     However, half way on our train ride we were halted.....a train carrying coal traveling in front of us derailed - spilling all of its contents onto the tracks, therefore blocking any train traffic from going forward.
     Buses had to be contacted to transport all of the passengers on the Trans Alpine Train to Christchurch.  We ended up arriving at our hotel around 1:00 a.m. instead of the 7:00 p.m. scheduled time.
     Needless to say this was not a perfect ending to our trip - but we were all thankful no one was hurt on the derailed train AND that it was not our train that derailed.  We were all looking on the bright side and staying positive.