That's very good news about the TranzAlpine resuming service.

From the website: “It sends a clear signal that, while Christchurch city centre has been affected, the rest of New Zealand still has stunning scenery and is very much open for tourism business.”

Woody

That's so true, Woody. And it is so in Kiwi character to just get on with it.

I think we did the TranzAlpine our third day (2.5 if you include landing in Auckland)in NZ, and the train ride probably gave us the best sense of Kiwi humor/attitude. The guy providing us with witty commentary over the PA was also picking up the trash up and down the train. That same personality was replicated over and over again throughout our visit.

Of course the rest of the country is open for business. Come on down !!!

We just returned from our five-week holiday in NZ, and we are so glad we did not cancel.

The only part of our trip that was affected was the Christchurch Central Business District. So instead we drove to Akaroa, which was delightful. One day we had lunch at the Trading Rooms Restaurant in Akaroa (they have a wonderful seafood platter!). After the meal, the waitress even thanked us for visiting, saying business has been slow following the quake.

We stayed one night at the Copthorne Hotel Commodore near the Christchurch airport. There were notices in the room to not drink tap water, and the hotel supplied drinking water in the lobby, or you could use the kettle to boil water. The next morning, as our shuttle took us past the BCD on the way to the TranzAlpine train station, we saw some damaged buildings.

Other than that, our visit was unaffected by the earthquake.

Thank you again to those who encouraged us go forward with our holiday. It was our third visit to NZ, and by far our best.

Woody

Thank you so much for the follow-up, Woody. I've been wondering how it went.

Fantastic, glad to hear you had a good time and no problems.