Tue, 29th August 2006: Christchurch to Franz Josef via Greymouth, New Zealand
The day started while I was watching the Internet TV cricket match, which Pakistan won. Then I just didn’t sleep. I stayed up and in the morning I repacked my bags and took the first bus from Sumner to the Bus Exchange. I got to know there that I can continue with the same bus and I will be dropped closer to the train station so I did it.
Christchurch’s train station is really small and cute. I had to wait a little while there before I could board my Trans Alpine train to Greymouth. I didn’t sleep the whole night and I was so tired and feeling sleepy that as soon as boarded my train I slept for about an hour. Then I was awake when I saw the magnificent views of the Southern Alps. I firstly went to the Rail Restaurant and got a coffee and a muffin to wake up a bit and then I went to the open air carriage from where I took some really amazing photos of the Arthur’s Pass National Park and otira. The train arrived on time in Greymouth. I went straight ahead to the bus agent at the station who told me that there are two buses leaving today for Franz Josef Glacier at 13.30 & 15.30 and they arrive at 17.00 & 18.00 respectively.
My adventure spirit was telling me something else so I followed it. I went to the main highway of Greymouth and started hitching rides. I didn’t take me more than 5 mins in order to get my first ride. The driver was just going to the junction of roads going to Christchurch and Franz Josef Glacier. So, I was dropped there. I was a bit surprised to see that the traffic is very very low on this route and I was not sure how will I move on from here until the 4th Car – which pulled on the side of the road. He was a British guy Tony, who has become a New Zelander national well. We had a great conversation until the car got punctured and we had to change the wheel of 4w4. I helped him. In the end, he dropped me at Franz at 4pm. I got the hostel YHA here. It is my first time in this trip that I have decided to stay in a paid accommodation. This hostel is okay but all the people are just sitting in their groups and not mixing up. It seems to me that its only me who is passing comments, chatting up, trying to bring people together! How unsocial humans can be I wonder!!!
Then I decided to have a small orientation-al walk around and use Internet. On the way back I did some grocery shopping and finally came back to the hostel and prepared my meal. I met a Japanese girl who joined me for the dinner. The atmosphere became much better when more travelers started preparing dinner. I felt good. After the dinner, I watched an action movie in the common TV room with 2 lesbian-looking cute girls couple and the Japanese girl.
I went to my dorm and met the British born Pakistani guy who was on his way to Tonga via Wellington. We had a nice chitchat before a NZ guy with a French girl came to sleep in their beds in our 4-bed dorm. We had a bit of a laugh about the nice smart French girl – Dorthy who told us about a TV show on her name and the song related to it and that was the end of the day….
Christchurch’s train station is really small and cute. I had to wait a little while there before I could board my Trans Alpine train to Greymouth. I didn’t sleep the whole night and I was so tired and feeling sleepy that as soon as boarded my train I slept for about an hour. Then I was awake when I saw the magnificent views of the Southern Alps. I firstly went to the Rail Restaurant and got a coffee and a muffin to wake up a bit and then I went to the open air carriage from where I took some really amazing photos of the Arthur’s Pass National Park and otira. The train arrived on time in Greymouth. I went straight ahead to the bus agent at the station who told me that there are two buses leaving today for Franz Josef Glacier at 13.30 & 15.30 and they arrive at 17.00 & 18.00 respectively.
My adventure spirit was telling me something else so I followed it. I went to the main highway of Greymouth and started hitching rides. I didn’t take me more than 5 mins in order to get my first ride. The driver was just going to the junction of roads going to Christchurch and Franz Josef Glacier. So, I was dropped there. I was a bit surprised to see that the traffic is very very low on this route and I was not sure how will I move on from here until the 4th Car – which pulled on the side of the road. He was a British guy Tony, who has become a New Zelander national well. We had a great conversation until the car got punctured and we had to change the wheel of 4w4. I helped him. In the end, he dropped me at Franz at 4pm. I got the hostel YHA here. It is my first time in this trip that I have decided to stay in a paid accommodation. This hostel is okay but all the people are just sitting in their groups and not mixing up. It seems to me that its only me who is passing comments, chatting up, trying to bring people together! How unsocial humans can be I wonder!!!
Then I decided to have a small orientation-al walk around and use Internet. On the way back I did some grocery shopping and finally came back to the hostel and prepared my meal. I met a Japanese girl who joined me for the dinner. The atmosphere became much better when more travelers started preparing dinner. I felt good. After the dinner, I watched an action movie in the common TV room with 2 lesbian-looking cute girls couple and the Japanese girl.
I went to my dorm and met the British born Pakistani guy who was on his way to Tonga via Wellington. We had a nice chitchat before a NZ guy with a French girl came to sleep in their beds in our 4-bed dorm. We had a bit of a laugh about the nice smart French girl – Dorthy who told us about a TV show on her name and the song related to it and that was the end of the day….
posted by Umer at 11:10 am
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