A train trip

My GKB has just had a birthday so the kids all dubbed in and shouted him a trip to Palmerston on the Seasider train and I went with him :) It was a pleasant way to spend a winter's day.

We had a little while to wait before we could board the train once we arrived in Dunedin so we had a poke around the farmers market and then  listened to some young people busking outside the station.

 

Eventually we were able to board the train and our journey began. 

We had a nice young couple from Auckland sitting opposite us, they were doing some sightseeing before they headed back north in a couple of months time. They took this photo of us.

 

My GKB's family are from the Palmerston area, none left there any more, but he still feels a real connection. He spent a lot of time there as a boy. When we arrived he only had one thing in mind - one of McGregor's (world famous in Otago) mutton pies for his lunch. 

 

I think he was a little bit disappointed as the pie as a bit dry. Mutton pies always used to be greasy, the fat would run out as you took a bite and run down your chin. People either hated them or loved them, I was in the first camp. So I had a large sausage roll :) 

 

 After lunch we took a stroll around the township before heading back to the train. On the way we stopped to chat with a couple of the local goldminers. A lovely day out and a thoughtful birthday present from the kids for their father.

That's it until next time,

enjoy your week.

Diana

Two intrepid walkers -some hometown snaps

Some snaps taken around my hometown a few years ago,

 just five as I want to join Amy for Five on Friday.

Tainui Street, part of the shopping centre.

A greenstone fountain (New Zealand jade), 

also known in Maori as pounamu.

The South Island is also known 

as Te Wai Pounamu, or Greenstone Waters.

The Grey River taken from

 the flood wall along Mawhera Quay.

The railway station and i centre

 on the left and a hotel on the right.

Another hotel, both hotels are heritage buildings.

Be kind to one another,
Diana

A rail journey

When my son let us know they were coming over for a holiday he said he would love to give his wife some sort of a surprise, a trip somewhere special or horse riding perhaps. We arranged horse riding for them but he decided that maybe he should warn her about that and we'd all try to think of something else.

And then my daughter rang and she said she had found half price tickets on the Taieri Gorge Railway. Yippee. We got the vouchers and headed into town and booked our seats. We didn't tell them where were going, just told them not to arrange anything for that day, so it was a surprise for both of them.

On the day we headed in to our beautiful railway station and boarded the train.  We had a choice of heritage carriage or observation carriage, we opted for the heritage seeing as we were able to move around if we wanted to get photo's. These carriages date from 1912 - 1923 and are done out in wood panelling and have open platforms at each end. Comfortable, authentic and fun.

A friend of ours was on the train as a guard so he sat down for a few minutes to have a chat. He hadn't seen our son for a few years and they enjoyed having a bit of a catch up. Then he was away to do his commentary.

Anyway once out of the city the train turns inland and heads west and into the hills. For a start we travelled through farmland, sheep, alpaca, horse studs (racing) and cows. 

Then it was into more rugged country with deep ravines and rivers  on one side and high hills on the other. 

There were 12 tunnels in all and 19 bridges or viaducts to be crossed on the way.

We passed one hotel and several workers houses that are now only used as holiday places or getaways for fishermen. Sue, the dog, is a statue in honour of the working dogs in the area. Can you see the bath down by the river in the picture of the house below? You might have to blow the picture up a bit. (It's the smallest white thing in the trees).

The two green bins are very posh longdrops (toilets), the red shed is the hotel. 

During the summer tourist season the train normally runs through to Middlemarch where it turns around for the return journey. We only went as far as Pukerangi but that was still a four hour return trip. We got off here for a bit of a wander while the engines changed ends so we could begin the return journey. (Pukerangi is a Maori word meaning Hill of god).

I didn't wander too far though as I'm always worried that the train will leave without me. I'm a bit wimpy that way.

 Then it was all aboard... 

...and we headed back the way we had come.

We all enjoyed our day out on the train and it was a good way for them to start their holiday. Our son hadn't been on the train before either so it was all new for him as well as his wife, and it was great to be able to do something neither of them expected. 

Have a great week.

Diana

Joining with:

Wake up Wednesday

Say g'day Saturday

A railway station

Our city has some beautiful buildings (I think so anyway) and I thought I would show some of them to you occasionally. Sometimes I think places become so common place when you live with them that you stop seeing them. Below is the Dunedin (Otago, New Zealand) railway station. I heard someone make a derisory remark one day about it looking like it came out of a Disney movie, but I think it is wonderful.

Designed by George Troup and finally completed in 1906 it's built from dark basalt and white Oamaru stone. The pillars in the front are made from pink granite and the roof tiles are terracotta from Marseilles. The style is Flemish renaissance and it has a lovely Flemish garden in the front with seats so you can relax and enjoy.

The working side of the station has a platform which is said to be 1 kilometre long but I'm not sure whether it still is...maybe back in the day. Mind you it certainly feels that length when you are walking it from one end to the other. Unfortunately because of the decline in rail travel the only trains that run from/through here now are excursion trains that leave from the north and south ends of the platform.

This is also where the world famous  iD fashion week holds its final shows in March and April every year, the platform becomes the runway. This event draws major fashion designers from all over the world as well as local and national designers.

Every weekend there is a very popular farmers market in the car park at the north end of the station.

Lets go inside for a look where I think it is just as gorgeous. It's very ornate and a real representation of the era in which it was built.

The foyer, looking at the ticket windows and the door through to the booking office. These days the toilets are behind here having been shifted from the opposite side of the foyer.

Looking down from the balcony towards the platform door, with my son and his wife looking back. The floor is a mosaic of 750,000 Minton tiles with the NZR (New Zealand Rail) initials in some squares. There is a nice tearooms and restaurant on the ground floor for a cuppa or a meal if you feel so inclined.

Part of the tile mosaic in the entrance.

Upstairs there are a couple of sets of stained glass windows on opposing walls, and a Royal Doulton tile frieze runs around the walls.

Balcony

One of the stained glass windows

Balcony floor

Up here you can have a browse around a small art gallery or you can have a look around the sports hall of fame if that's what takes your fancy.

It's funny how you take these places for granted, we never had a look around until my son and his wife came over for a holiday from Japan. It was just somewhere we used to commute to and from on schooldays (for my GKB) and work days. It's good to know that it won't slip into disrepair but is still being put to good use today.

This is quite a long post but I hope you have enjoyed it.

See you next time.

Keep well,

Diana