The ultimate train ride, the Overlander from Wellington to Aukland passing through the center of the north island. The train consisted of 6 coaches pulled by a diesel engine as it left Wellington, eventually changing to an electric engine when it reached the edge of the city. The first sign of an informal atmosphere occurred when the young man working at the small buffet counter delivered hot coffee to the engineer at each stop by meeting him halfway on the platform. At noon we actually stopped for an hour for lunch at a small town that becomes a ski resort in the winter. While most passengers ate a sandwich at the station cafe, I wandered nearby streets in seach of street art and graffiti, actually finding a good example to photograph. One coach had small open air platform that would accomodate up to 8 people. It was to my advantage that not many people elected to stay there as I spent most of my time enjoying the fresh air and taking photos. The sign reading "do not lean beyond the railing" needed to be taken seriously since there was barely any clearance as the train passed through tunnels, over bridges and along groves of trees. Not a wise idea to stick your head out far enough to see the approaching landscape.
The route passes through spectacular scenery, emerald green fields and hills, deep gorges and snowcapped volcanic peaks. The white dots appearing in the green landscape are sheep, millions of sheep! I am sure that I saw more of these animals in one day that I had previously seen in my lifetime. No one can tell you how many there are, but they number many times that of the human population. Another surprise! Dairy cows actually eating grass. Yes, all of the animals are outside; cows, sheep, goats, pigs. About half of the population of lives in the two or three major cities so that does not leave many people to be scattered throughout the rest of the country. Farms and villages are few and far between. The train crossed several high tressles and descended from the higher elevation by circling in a spiral to avoid an otherwise steep grade. There are still some areas that are forested, but it is obvious that the Maoris and later, the European immigrants thought pasture for sheep was more important that trees. Some of the remaining forests are in the national park near the summit where three snow covered volcanos provide a landscape remeniscient of Central Oregon.
The route passes through spectacular scenery, emerald green fields and hills, deep gorges and snowcapped volcanic peaks. The white dots appearing in the green landscape are sheep, millions of sheep! I am sure that I saw more of these animals in one day that I had previously seen in my lifetime. No one can tell you how many there are, but they number many times that of the human population. Another surprise! Dairy cows actually eating grass. Yes, all of the animals are outside; cows, sheep, goats, pigs. About half of the population of lives in the two or three major cities so that does not leave many people to be scattered throughout the rest of the country. Farms and villages are few and far between. The train crossed several high tressles and descended from the higher elevation by circling in a spiral to avoid an otherwise steep grade. There are still some areas that are forested, but it is obvious that the Maoris and later, the European immigrants thought pasture for sheep was more important that trees. Some of the remaining forests are in the national park near the summit where three snow covered volcanos provide a landscape remeniscient of Central Oregon.
No comments:
Post a Comment