All Aboard.... Wilderness train ride

-

We rode the West Coast Wilderness Railway train journey along the king River and through the rain forest to Queenstown.
A journey on a restored railroad and trains that began their lives servicing the copper mines at Queenstown.

Andrew the guard does a grand job.
He keeps us amused with his commentary during the journey.

 All aboard...


The first part of the  train journey follows the King River. Tannins make it dark brown. Efforts are being made to remediate the river after decades of mine waste have rendered it lifeless.






During the lunch stop the steam engine was readied to take us to Queenstown.

We went for a walk in the rainforest. The mosses and ferns made us feel as if we were on a walking track on the west coast  of New Zealand.


Alan, the engine driver... and a motorcyclist.
We loved his big wave and extra Toot, toot... when we rode through Queenstown the next morning.

The byproducts of the mining process have reduced the  Queen River  pH to 2.5. No fish live here.
Nowadays the copper ore is exported to India to be refined.

We returned to Strahan by bus and had a lovely evening with my sister Yvonne and Ken who just happened to be in Strahan for the evening.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homeward bound: Picton to Queenstown, New Zealand. 875km, 11.5°C-22°C

-
Image
We saved the best for last. The longest distance we have ever ridden two up in one day. From Marlborough's Wairau Valley vineyards... To lake Rotoiti And the forest-clad hills  That accompany us south and to the west coast. Coffee stop at the Beeches in Murchison Awesome pies for lunch in Hokitika Whitebait fritters at the Paringa Salmon Farm. So good to be on familiar roads, So close to home We decide to make a run for Queenstown while the sun is still shining. Through the Gates of Haast Over the Haast Pass To the warmth of Central Otago at Makarora Along the shorelines of Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea Through the early evening golden light  Etching patterns on slopes of the Crown Range. Home to Te Komata  Our house on the hill Which welcomes us with open arms. We are truly blessed to live in this part  of the world. Vineyards spread across the Wairau Valley. Home of Marlborough wines.   Lake Rotoiti - high water this summer. Beyond lake Rotoiti Dual single lane rai
Read more

Ngorogoro Crater

-
Image
Ngorogoro Crater formed 2.5million years ago after a volcanic eruption. The crater is about 19km in diameter and has steep sides. The road descending into the crater is definitely a 4WD road. Steep and rugged. The floor of the crater has lakes which provide water for animals year round. There is a resident population of wildebeest and zebra, buffalo, zebra, many hyena, lions and birds. While we were visiting the area the skies were magnificently moody. The crater is around 2300m altitude so it was pleasantly cool. Short grass necessitates knee bending for the warthog whilst feeding. One of the many hyena cooling off. A weaver bird.  There were lots of weaver bird nests in the trees. Some birds were on the winge carrying straw to their nests. The superb starling. A contented wildebeest Plenty of lions on the prowl. Weaver bird nests Zebra galore  Lions having breakfast on a freshly killed buffalo. Getting around by Caravan 
Read more