We left on time and just a few minutes before a bus that was also heading to Auckland from the other side of the platform. I bet the bus arrives in Auckland first.
It was a grey day but the storm of the previous few days appeared to have finished. It only took a few moments for the first long PA announcement of many was made.
The first bit is uninteresting. A couple of tunnels and then through the outer reaches of the city. The terrain forces the track to twist and writhe over small saddles and views of the sea come and go. Several more short tunnels and we then leave the sea, not to return seaside until near the very end of the trip.
We passed the first commuter train of the day heading in the opposite direction. Then there was a stop outside Paraparaumu as our driver swapped with the driver of a freight train bound for Wellington. This was to be the first of many stops in the middle of nowhere.
The weather deteriorated as we headed north over the Manawatu plains. The misty drizzle obscuring the ranges we knew to be close by and giving an ethereal feel to the landscape - not the dense white-gray of a fog but nonetheless difficult to see much.
When we crossed the Manawatu River on the outskirts of Palmerston North I noticed it was swollen and even browner than normal, if that is possible. The paddocks on either side for miles were at least partially underwater, not from a break in the riverbank but rather the heavy downpours of the previous couple of days were simply unable to run-off anywhere on the flat and waterlogged terrain. The cows and sheep looked miserable, and clustered in the grassy islands surrounded by water as if allergic to the wet.
We had a few minutes stopped at Palmerston North. This is one of a few breaks where smokers can indulge so of course there was a stampede. My seatmate was looking for a newspaper - the onboard cafe did not sell any and there was nowhere at/near the station to get one. A couple of newspapers that passengers had brought on from Wellington ended up being shared around the whole train.
Unlike a longhaul flight there is no IFE so everyone either settled down to a book, slept off excesses from the previous night or, mostly, wandered around the train and chatted. This, I don't think you'd get on the bus.
The PA commentary got a bit tired - pointing out things we'd normally be able to see if only it weren't for the drizzle. However, as we traversed the lower hill country past Marton (our 6th stop) the weather slowly improved. By now the open expanses were gone and we had tunnel vision - hills rising steeply on either side as we ascended the valleys.
Over a low saddle and we were starting the fun bit of the trip. The Rangitikei valley is broad but also gorge-like with terraces high above the cliffs the river had cut into the land. We passed over several big viaducts both on ravines to the side of the main river as well as twice more across the Rangitikei. At the small town of Mangaweka I made sure not to miss the DC3 made into a cafe. A blink and you'd miss it.
Last edited by Kiwi Flyer; Jul 18, 2008 at 1:03 am