Our TranzAlpine trip had been booked over three weeks earlier, and we were confident it would go ahead. On Saturday morning when we arrived at the station we were surprised to see two tour buses parked outside, and then to find very few people in the waiting room. It turned out that the day’s Coastal Pacific train had been cancelled because of possible Covid 19 contamination, and those passengers were being taken to Picton by bus. We were told that Tranz Alpine bookings were well down, but there were five passenger carriages on our train so social/physical distancing could be ensured. The check-in person asked us to put contact details on the back of our boarding passes in case this was needed for Covid 19 follow-up.
Our carriage with approximately 50 seats had less than a dozen passengers. The three of us were in a space with four seats and a table. Across the aisle was a group of four tourists, less than one metre away!
I love train travel at any time and this amazingly spectacular route is always thrilling. As we descended from Otira it started to rain, and the mist closed in in true West Coast fashion. By the time we got to Greymouth it was raining steadily and we were glad our rooms at the Kingsgate Hotel were not far from the station. Here the receptionist asked whether any of us had been overseas during the past month, and whether anyone was feeling unwell, and made a note of our answers.
Heavy rain reinforced our decision to have dinner at the Hotel. The restaurant was not available to us because it was being kept exclusively for a Belgian tour group. However the full menu was available in the bar area which had a good number of tables. We were the only ones dining there and had the undivided attention of a sole barman/waiter. The meal was excellent and we were happy to retire at 9pm.
We had heard Jacinda’s broadcast asking people over 70 to stay at home, and everyone to avoid non-essential domestic travel. This means Cathryn’s North Island trip is cancelled, and she will fly home tomorrow. It also means I can’t attend Te Reo classes or tutorials which are now moving online anyway.
Next morning we had breakfast at Sevenpenny, where every second table had a sign saying Permanently reserved – legal requirement – 1m physical distance, and we were asked to fill in a form with name, address, phone number, and email so we can be contacted if it’s later found someone with Covid19 has eaten there. Lunch at Robert Harris had a similar requirement to register, and this is the last time we will eat out for the duration.
Sevenpenny was named after an effective consumer boycott in 1947 when local hotels moved to raise the price of beer from 6d to 7d. The boycott led to local miners striking, and the nation reached crisis point with a shortage of coal nationwide which forced the Government to intervene.
Cathryn had introduced me, via her laptop, to The Crown on Netflix, and the prospect of having to stay home indefinitely induced me to buy a Vodafone TV box in Greymouth. This is now all set up, so we have extra home entertainment. We’ve learned today that the TranzAlpine service has been suspended until further notice, so our trip home yesterday was the last one for the forseeable future.
Among all this week’s sad news there are two encouraging items. The first is that the Act changing abortion from a crime to a health issue has been passed. The second is that a friend who has had severe ongoing leg problems has been told she is now eligible for the necessary prosthetic. So good to have these rays of sunshine amid the gloom!
So glad we took the chance to roam
from now on we must stay at home