Steam Train, Day Twelve: Napier to Palmerston North

This morning the train did not depart Napier Station until 10:30am, which allowed me a luxurious sleep-in until 8:30, and then a proper breakfast and visiting with Fay and Frank, during which I thanked them profusely for taking me in again. Fay brushed off all my apologies for the imposition, saying, “We would have been very upset if you had been in trouble like that and not called us”, and told me I have two guardian angels watching over me.

The train headed south today, retracing our earlier passage along the Palmerston North - Gisborne line. We passed through the town of Hastings, about 20km south of Napier, where several years ago the town council decided they wanted to build a fountain right where the rail line crosses through town. Seeing as the rail line couldn’t be easily moved, the city council went ahead and built the fountain *around* the railway tracks! The fountain is connected to the railway crossing timer so the water (mostly) shuts off when the train drives through, but it is indeed a sight to see a train plough its way through the centre of a fountain! Hmm, yesterday we stopped on an airport tarmac, today we drove through a city fountain... I’m not sure what is coming next!

Passing through the fountain at Hastings

I guess it's not every day a steam train drives
through a fountain!

We had several photo stops today: the first was at the beautifully restored station at Opapa, where the train puffed cheerily past us, surrounded by sunny orange flowers (I think they are California poppies) and green paddocks. (An interesting yet slightly useless piece of trivia: Opapa station was originally known as Te Aute until 1913, but has been called Opapa ever since.)

J 1211 at Opapa Station

Spring flowers in bloom at Opapa Station

The second and third photo stops where just up the hill from Opapa; the second was at a road crossing where I watched a group of cows across the street react quizzically to all the people piling out of the carriages, and then hysterically to the train, stampeding away when its whistle blew. 

J 1211 in a field just outside Opapa

The cows formed this protective circle when they
 saw all the passengers emerging from the train

The third stop was in a valley between many hills of green pasture, where Allan and I went under a bridge to cross to the opposite side of the tracks, and then hiked up the side of the pasture to get a picture of the train traversing up the green vista. Roy (the man from Florida) hiked up the pasture hill on the opposite side of the railway tracks, so he took a video of Allan and I on our side, and when we realised he was doing so we launched into some pretty ridiculous dance moves.

It's a sheep! It's a cow! No, it's Roy Schering
on the other side of the pasture!

An unexpected bonus at the third stop was getting to watch a farmer with a tractor and five dogs herd a flock of sheep from one paddock to another. I had never seen sheep dogs at work before; those are bright dogs! Watching sheep run is also highly amusing, as their leg-to-body ratio is so skewed they kind of look like springs that are rocking back and forth.

The next photo stop was at Ormondville, where the station has been restored and turned into a B&B: yes, you can stay right beside the rail tracks in a converted station house, and get woken up at 2am by freight trains whizzing past! (I’d do it, but hey, I’m a diehard.) For the photo stop I perched myself on the edge of an old freight car sitting on a siding, which was all well and good until about four or five men got into it as well; the floor was rusted through in some places, and I had visions of the whole thing collapsing and suddenly having several members of our tour group needing tetanus shots.

J 1211 steaming through Ormondville Station

The freight car with the floor of questionable stability

After a water stop in Dannevirke and marveling at the wind turbines on the hills outside Woodville, we continued on the Palmerston North - Gisborne line through the Manawatu Gorge, which is so narrow that the highway is on the south side of the river and the railway line on the north. Originally the Manawatu Gorge line contained five tunnels, but only Nos. 1 and 2 remain, as the other three were too narrow for modern freight cars (and as it was 1 and 2 have had their floors lowered to accommodate taller carriages). The second of the two tunnels was significant in length, leading to another smoke-filled carriage ride breathing in “eau de tunnel”.

The road bridge crossing to the far bank of the
Manawatu Gorge: there isn't enough room on
one side for both the road and the railway line!

Giant landslips like this certainly put one at ease...

Manawatu Gorge

A windfarm outside Palmerston North

We arrived in Palmerston North, population 80 700 (of which approximately 80 000 are university students it seems, attending Massey University, New Zealand’s largest post-secondary school), and us hostellers managed to scam a ride into town on the tour bus, seeing as the railway station is located far away from the city centre since they ripped up the railway tracks that used to run through the town square.

Palmerston North Station

I am actually not staying in a hostel tonight; I have treated myself and am in a proper motel, enjoying the luxury of my own ensuite and a distinct lack of roommates who hook up with one another, barge in and flip on all the lights at 3am, or sleep-talk to me in a foreign language. Sometimes it’s nice just to have a little peace and quiet!

~Carolyn~

Steam Train, Day Eleven: Gisborne to Napier (Or, No Room at the Inn, Thank God for Relatives)

Today was a day of many varied emotions... I am exhausted from too little sleep last night and too much commotion later in the afternoon, so I shall once again try to keep this brief so I can go to sleep.

The pot of the gold at the end of this rainbow was
J 1211 waiting at Gisborne Station!

A carving of a stylized Maori waka (canoe) prow

We left Gisborne Station this morning at 8:31am, and as we were pulling away I noticed (since my seat faces backward) two figures in the distance starting to run for the train. I recognized them, realised we had left two people behind, and started yelling, and was quickly joined by Allan, who caught Mike’s attention, who then radioed the cab and had the train stop. Mike was none too impressed, warning the other passengers over the PA that “if this happens again the train will not be stopping”, leading Ian Welch to say, “Well, that’s not very customer-friendly, now is it?!” with Mike then countering by saying, “Oh, ladies and gentlemen, Ian has just informed me I am not providing good customer service, and he will be paying for taxi rides for those who miss the train.” Ray and a few other people in the car remarked how lucky they were that I had seen the two men running and raised the alarm... I didn’t want to tell them that the reason I knew they were two of our own running for the train is one of them has the world’s worst comb-over, and when he runs the entire thing falls apart and kind of whips along behind him like streamers on bicycle handlebars.

Gisborne Station

J 1211 at Gisborne Station

One of the more interesting aspects of the Napier-Gisborne railway line is when the line passes directly on top of the Gisborne Airport runway; trains have to stop and seek clearance from the air traffic control tower to cross the runway and continue down the line. We were able to get permission to stop on the on the tarmac, so I have several photos of J 1211 sitting proudly in the middle of the blacktop... not exactly a common sight, a 1939 steam train in the middle of an airport runway!

J 1211 on the Gisborne Airport Runway

The second photo stop of the day was up at Beach Loop, 33km south of Gisborne, hugging the side of the mountain with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean extending out on the horizon as far as one can see. Beach Loop was originally a tunnel (completed in 1938) that either collapsed and was then removed or was removed for other reasons (I’m not sure which), and remnants of the tunnel in the form of concrete and shaped rock can still be seen along the tracks, most noticeably the stone engraving from the front of the tunnel proclaiming it to have been finished in 1938.

Beach Loop

The path of the rail tracks; grass now grows
where the tunnel walls once were

Remaining discarded shards of the tunnel walls and roof

Stone engraving from the front of the tunnel

Allan and I didn’t let the wind and pelting rain dampen our photographer spirits; once the train had backed up in front of us we ran across the tracks and scaled the side of the mountain to a new vantage point, and I took a breathtaking (if I do say so myself) shot of J 1211 coming around the corner, flanked by the Pacific Ocean on one side, and trees and mountain on the other.

J 1211 at Beach Loop

It was raining fiercely when I took this picture.
I was concerned for my (non-waterproof) camera!

J 1211's steam is especially visible (and beautiful) in this
shot due to the cool, damp weather. It was worth climbing
the hill and getting soaked to get this picture!

The next photo stop was an Ian Welch special at a bridge just before the Tikiwhata Tunnel, which was better appreciated for its beautiful natural scenery (a creek and lush greenery) than the angle at which one could photograph the train. I discovered footings for what looked like an old service road (or track) bridge across the river, and Allan found a wheel gear that he and I determined may have belonged to a geared locomotive  (a Climax or Heisler, as New Zealand never had any Shays).

J 1211 on the bridge just before the Tikiwhata tunnel

An old locomotive wheel gear (possibly Climax or Heisler) 

Beautiful temperate/tropical rainforest. If you squint, you
can make out the foundations of an old bridge
(possibly road/trail, possibly railroad)

Passing through the Tikiwhata Tunnel was a slightly painful affair; at 2989m long, it’s about the maximum length one would want to make a tunnel and still have steam trains running through it... the smoke building up inside the carriages can quickly reach uncomfortable levels. This was compounded by it being a wet and rainy day, and the tunnels being filled with mildew and moist, damp, dank air that was readily sucked inside the carriages by the ventilation system; it was a smell I quickly christened “eau de tunnel”.

We had a brief stop at the town of Opoutama to get a shot of the train at sea level passing over a bridge by the beach, then pressed on to Wairoa, stopping there once again to refill the water tanks. Unfortunately our track warrants in the afternoon didn’t permit us to “work” along any section of track (i.e., the train wasn’t allowed to stop and back up), so we didn’t have any photo stops until we were almost in Napier.

Opoutama Beach

J 1211 outside Napier (possibly near Waipunga)

Allan and I were offered a cab ride by Mike, so we rode the last 45 minutes or so of the day in the cab of J 1211. The engineer, Kevin, was quite welcoming, asking me all about trains in Canada (Vic, the Mainline Steam Rep in the cab, must have told him where I was from) including the Royal Hudson, and he let me blow the whistle to start the train off. It was educational to watch him and Tom, the fireman, communicate with gestures (and a few muffled shouts) to co-operate in operating the locie, and great fun to zip along the rails; J 1211 has a speed limit of 80km/hr, not 70, and there were a few times when we were cruising along at 75km/hr, faster than the cars on the road beside us! Great fun.

The fireman's side of J 1211's cab...

... and the engineer's.

J 1211's independent and automatic
Westinghouse brakes

J 1211's pressure and water glass gauges

Crossing the estuary heading into Napier

A mass exodus over the railway tracks for the last photo stop

J 1211 steaming into Napier

When we got in to Napier Allan and I headed up to Marine Parade where many of the backpacker hostels are located, and here begins my saga; while Allan had prebooked at the YHA a month or so ago, I had only made a booking enquiry last night at a lodge up the street. So far my booking a few days in advance (or the night before) hadn’t proved to be a problem, what with it being the off-season. No such luck today: not only was my attempted booking from last night unsuccessful, but the woman at the front desk informed me due to the long weekend (Monday is a holiday here), several conferences, and the show (carnival) being in town, they were all booked up, and so were all the hostels she could think of sending me to. After calling around to a few places with no luck, I swallowed my pride and called up Fay and Frank, who were exceptionally accommodating and took me in again for another night. It is so nice to have caring relatives!

The stress of this afternoon took its toll on me; I am exhausted, but well-fed, thanks to a nice dinner of fish and chips Frank and I picked up, and feeling relaxed, thanks to Fay’s hospitality and caring nature. Now I am once again off to bed, sleeping in my uncle’s old bedroom. Goodnight!

~Carolyn~

Steam Train, Day Ten: Napier to Gisborne

It is very late at night, so I will be brief... I spent far too long in the kitchen here at the YHA Hostel in Gisborne talking to a brother and sister pair from Wales, Alex and Victoria, and as a result should really be sleeping now, not updating my blog. Thankfully we traverse over the same section of rail tomorrow, so I will have time to see all the things I missed today and write about them tomorrow.

The Gisborne YHA. Bright green walls!

The line between Napier and Gisborne has always been somewhat under threat; plans for its development were in place in the late 1890s, but it wasn't until the 1910s that anything started to happen, and completion didn't come until the 1940s. Even then, the railway has been closed to passenger traffic since 1988, with the exception of special excursion trains. As a result, many of the stations along the way are either completely torn down, boarded up, or reduced to goods service only, leaving us stopping and standing on concrete platforms leading nowhere, and surrounded by lonely piles of crumbled brick, small shards of glass, and rusted pieces of metal. It's somewhat sobering to see how much can change in such a short time.

For such a picturesque line, it's a crime that
it's only used for freight transport.

Today was a day of many photo stops: the first after leaving Napier was at Waipunga, then at the Holt Forest Trust. Once again the train has many passengers; for this special Napier-Gisborne run it has been branded the "Sunrise Explorer", and tickets were sold just for the two days. (The name comes from the fact that Gisborne, being located on the east coast of New Zealand, is the first city in the world to see the sun rise each day).

Sunrise Explorer passengers out for a photo stop

A literal highlight (ha ha) of today was passing over the Mohaka Viaduct, which crosses the Mohaka River, halfway between Napier and Wairoa. At 275m long and 97m high, it is the highest viaduct in Australasia (and greatly beloved by Susan, the woman from Florida, who is not fond of heights).

Mohaka Viaduct

Another highlight (figurative this time) was when we stopped at Wairoa to fill J 1211's water tank and children from a local primary school came out to have a look at the train; they had studied the innerworkings of steam locomotives, and came prepared with a worksheet and a bunch of questions for Mike and the locomotive engineer. At the end of their visit to say thank you they played two traditional Māori percussive pieces on drums, which were fascinating to hear (my ethnomusicologist brain kicked into action and I had to restrain myself from analyzing the musical form and structure and then harassing their teacher with technical questions).

I'd say that's enough water!

Wairoa Primary School kids with their instruments

Eagerly exploring and photographing the train

More photo stops followed in the afternoon: one at a beautiful oceanside pass, made less beautiful by the rain,

 and another at a stunning horseshoe-shaped curve near a village whose name escapes me at the moment (one of those long Māori names).

J 1211 at Waikokopu (mountain side)

J 1211 at Waikokopu (ocean side)

The embankment is shored up with old rail trucks

The hilarious part of the day for me, however, happened at our last photo stop, an "Ian Welch favourite" (which is usually a key phrase meaning somewhere inaccessible or with poor lighting or power lines in the way, etc.). The setting was actually quite nice: deep within the temperate rain forest, focusing on a tunnel mouth that the train would come charging out of. Because it was such a narrow space, all the prospective photographers had to huddle in close together. Allan and I were sitting side by side on the damp grass at the front of the group, when a (somewhat portly) British man came and tried to sit down in front of me before deciding there wasn't enough room and moving on. What was unfortunate about this was his pants were slipping off his bum, and I got an extremely graphic and extremely close-up (and rather agonizingly LONG) mooning by this oblivious older British man. I just turned my face to Alan with a "help me" sort of expression, but he was shaking from suppressed laughter... he leaned over and whispered, "Gee, I didn't realise this shot was going to have *two* tunnels!"

Beautiful temperate/tropical rainforest

J 1211 charges out of tunnel #17

We had a photo stop over this bridge, but because I don't
have a long-range lens I didn't participate.

Mercifully the stunning scenery as we headed down the final stretch to Gisborne made up for this traumatizing incident: we hugged the mountainside closely, while the other side of the train enjoyed stunning views of the ocean; apparently, on a clear day the curvature of the earth can be discerned from this vantage point.

Sometimes one just needs a rest. Sweet dreams, Ron!

Beach Loop

It was a little too cloudy to see any curvature

Just before arriving at Gisborne Station the train took us past the cliffs of Young Nick's Head. Their name comes from Captain James Cook, who promised a reward to the first member of his crew to spot land. On October 7th, 1769, young Nicholas Young, the twelve-year-old assistant to the ship Endeavour's surgeon, spotted the promontory, and was given a reward of a gallon of rum (ah, drinking 12-year-olds!) and the name of the headland. The Maori name is Te Kuri o Paoa, or "The Dog of Paoa", as the headlands are said to look like the dog of the famous Maori explorer Paoa.

Young Nick's Head / Te Kuri o Paoa

Anyway, it is now 1am, and I have to be up in just under six hours, so I will continue my rave about the beauty of the Napier-Gisborne railway line tomorrow. Night!

~Carolyn~