Nelson via Transalpine

"You're taking the Transalpine, then just wait out front at 7am in the morning and the shuttle will take you to the train station." Well so much for the free shuttle. I wouldn't have minded walking there, but to just have some bunch of clowns just have you hang about for 45 minutes then have to make your own way there anyway wasn't a great way to start the day.

In the end I get there on time and the weather is again better than the forecast, which is certainly a bonus for this trip across to the west coast. There's a couple of stops on the way (with the photo at the top at the midway point of Arthur's Pass which is just before the 9km tunnel - note the open carriage just behind the loco).

Into Greymouth just after midday, and after a quick lunch at a nearby hotel it's onto Nelson via an Intercity coach. You could have almost called this one a big taxi, as I was the only one who was on it for full the six hour ride with our driver Steve through to Nelson via that fantastic bit of road through the Buller Gorge.