Waikato Times
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,375 ... 20,00.html
Heading off the rails
09 August 2006
By SUSAN PEPPERELL
Susan Pepperell boards the Overlander for the scenic leg south from
Hamilton to National Park and finds sadness among those affected as
the iconic train's last stop looms.
There's a pamphlet you can pick up at the Frankton Railway Station
called Discover New Zealand by Train.
So far, no one has added "while you still can", but it must only be a
matter of time.
The Overlander – once daily between Auckland and Wellington and vice
versa – is due in soon, and prospective passengers, assorted bags and
two camellia trees are being fussed over by Monica the manager, who
accompanies the train to National Park and back. She is luggage
helper, husky-voiced tour commentator, snack seller, ticket collector
and mother hen rolled into one extremely energetic TranzScenic
employee.
"You'll enjoy it," she says, patting a passenger on the arm. "The
main thing is don't get off if it's not your stop." As she darts away
she adds, slightly mysteriously: "It's not as funny as it sounds."
As it turns out, the first stop from Hamilton is about 2km down the
track out the back of Melville. On the horizon is the Mormon temple
at Tuhikaramea. Monica's offsider Frank Petersen is on the PA
explaining why we're at a standstill. Either that or what's available
at Snacks on Tracks, the buffet counter. But train announcement rules
mean only the second half of every sentence can be audible words. The
rest must be a mix of important-sounding mumbles and ominous
silences. This, however, is perfectly clear: "Do not try to alight
from the train when it is not your destination. Thank you."
Clearly, Frank and Monica have had experiences they'd rather not
repeat.
The smell of coffee wafts down the carriage, and Te Awamutu passes
by. Into the King Country and the scenery changes from soft green
paddocks to rugged ground and lots of hills. Patchwork corrugated
iron haysheds and cows with enormous udders, close to calving, share
the landscape.
It's a view of rural New Zealand no one will see after September. At
least, not quite like this: close up, in slow motion and without the
worries of being on the road.
September 30 marks the last journey of the Overlander.
Despite plans for last-minute efforts to save the service, there is
virtually no hope. It is uneconomic, unpopular, too long, too slow.
Everyone agrees it's a sad end to a service that has existed since
1909. But Toll New Zealand, which owns it and operates it under its
passenger service division TranzScenic, can't stand the losses any
more, and the Government, having studied the figures, won't subsidise
it after realising it would cost $1.75 million a year plus $500,000
in capital costs.
Frank isn't surprised but, he says, "it's not a nice feeling".
"I've had some really great times on here. And the scenery is so
beautiful."
He is expecting to be made redundant although Toll spokesperson Sue
Foley says the company hasn't yet decided how many jobs will be lost.
There are estimates of 35.
If it does happen, it will be the third time Frank has been laid off
in the 30 years since he emigrated from Denmark.
"I'm starting not to like this country very much," he says and looks
glum.
Monica, meanwhile, is back on the PA pointing out a family of
kunekune pigs wallowing near the tracks. "Get over there and have a
look," she says pointing to the window.
Royce Edwards stays put. The Hamilton 70-year-old is blind in one eye
and partially sighted in the other. He walks with a cane and has been
a regular on the Overlander for many years. Usually he'll be at
Frankton about once a month but since the announcement of its demise
he's been turning up once a week.
"It's a day out for me. It's pretty good, you can have a meal on the
train if you want, and cups of tea. That'll go by the board next
month. But that's life isn't it?"
Shortly before National Park, heading south, is the "world famous"
Raurimu Spiral. This engineering marvel puts the 352 bridges and 14
tunnels on the trip into the shade. The spiral solved the problem of
how trains could climb 132m from a valley on to the volcanic plateau.
Frank eagerly explains how it works over the PA.
At National Park, the two Overlanders meet. The northbound train
chugs around the southbound and backs up to the platform. Staff swap
over and go back to where they came from.
Waiting to greet both sets of passengers is Max, the jack russell
with the turbo tail, wearing his high-visibility vest the train staff
had tailor-made for him.
Max belongs to the Station Cafe and keeps passengers company as they
line up to be served during the 45-minute stop. Warren Furner owns
the Station Cafe. Five years ago the building was derelict.
"It was an embarrassment to our community and one of the reasons I
got into the cafe business."
Warren Furner recalls the days the National Park Railway Station had
a stationmaster and staff. But in the 1980s the district's activities
started to decline. The Ministry of Works pulled out, the prison
closed, the school went from 250 children to 50 and, like many small
rural communities New Zealand-wide, publicly funded services were
withdrawn. The train station was among the casualties.
Furner became a district councillor, and National Park started to
focus on its tourism potential. Eight years ago Thomas Whitehead
bought the National Park Backpackers. Back then up to a dozen people
would book in before starting out on the Tongariro Crossing, one of
the country's most popular day walks. These days, on a good weekend,
there will be 90-plus, many hopping off the train. Add in the ski
trade and it's not difficult to see why Whitehead believes Toll and
the Government haven't done anyone any favours.
"The Government spends millions of dollars promoting New Zealand
overseas and then says `sorry, we can't transport you around'.
"It's a shame for the whole of the country."
Furner's cafe employs eight full-time and two part-time staff and he
has recently taken on an apprentice.
"What the train did was enough to guarantee income in the low season
without reducing everyone's hours."
Come October 1, he estimates he'll need only four staff.
"That's the reality. This will have a huge impact on small towns."
Until the end of September, he is putting his time into council
efforts to lobby the Government. Ruapehu Mayor Sue Morris says it is
up to central government to save the service.
Furner says he is hopeful Taupo MP Mark Burton may be able to
persuade his Cabinet colleagues to stump up.
At National Park, Christine Brears, from the Taumarunui Community
Kokiri Health Trust, is waiting to collect a special passenger. It's
John Ibekwe, Taumarunui's new doctor. The Nigerian got off a flight
from Dallas at Wellington and straight on to the Overlander. It's his
first time in New Zealand and Brears wanted him to see a bit of the
country before starting work.
He's impressed –- particularly when the clouds lift and the mountains
are revealed at their pristine best. "Very scenic," he declares.
Brears is glad but annoyed that another service is being lost to
Taumarunui.
"Planes don't land in Taumarunui and it's a two-hour drive to
Hamilton."
Trouble is, there are not enough people willing to spend 12 hours
getting from one end of the North Island to the other. Foley says the
TranzAlpine between Christchurch and Greymouth carries 200,000
passengers a year, compared to 90,000 in the Overlander's heyday.
"It's more than halved since then. Twelve hours is too much. I
appreciate that people are sad to see it go but how many have ever
used it?"
Tickets, on special, are $99 one way. This week, Air New Zealand, on
its internet grab-a-seat promotion, was offering tickets between
Hamilton and Christchurch for $59.
Ironically, bookings are heavy on the Overlander from now through
next month. Some days the train is full. People who always meant to
do the trip one day have realised it's now or never.
Like Cathie and Colin Phillips from Great Barrier Island. They're off
to the Constable exhibition at Te Papa in Wellington. Cathie reckons
it's more than 50 years since she was on a train.
"It was just after the Tangiwai disaster. I remember looking down and
seeing bits of the carriages in the mud."
Tangiwai was late Christmas Eve, 1953. A mudflow wiped out the bridge
at Tangiwai near Waiouru and 151 people died.
Every Christmas Eve since, the overnight Northerner slowed enough for
a bouquet of flowers to be dropped into the river as a tribute. Or at
least they did until two years ago when the Northerner was axed.
Cathie's enjoying the trip south. "You don't have to worry about the
traffic and you get to see the countryside."
She and Colin are typical of the domestic passengers on the
Overlander – older and not in a hurry to get anywhere. There are a
sprinkling of tourists too, the obligatory loud American, a young
English couple, and Scottish mother and daughter Elaine and Lynsay
Harris. They've already been on the TranzAlpine and have decided the
train is a great way to see the country.
"You can relax on a train," Lynsay says.
"We're so used to trains in Scotland and Europe," Elaine adds.
Up front is driver Paul Jensen, who in 2004 drove the last Northerner
from Wellington to Auckland. It's highly likely he'll repeat the
experience with the Overlander.
Train driving is the only job he's had and he likes the passenger
trains because he's not on his own. But after September, he'll be
back shunting freight.
Jensen believes his employers have been short-sighted about axing the
Overlander, particularly for towns like Taumarunui with a limited bus
service and no airport.
"I'll be sad to see it go," he says.
The train arrives at Frankton shortly before 5.30pm. Monica announces
its imminent arrival by declaring Hamilton a great place because she
lives there.
On the wall in the waiting room is a poster advertising the
Overlander and its "685km of photo opportunities". It's tempting to
add "but you'll have to take the bus".
pretty ironic that this kind of travel writing may have had some impact on ridership before the train was doomed .
