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Today is Anzac Day in New Zealand, a day like our Memorial Day, which was initially established to honor those who fought and died during the Battle of Gallipoli in WW I but now honors all soldiers who have fought for Australia and NZ. The country is mostly shut down for business in the morning, and there are parades in cities throughout the country. We watched one in Blenheim.
The afternoon was spent on the train that travels the east coast of the South Island from Blenheim to Christchurch. It's a five hour trip but the time seemed to melt away because of the scenery. To the east is the Pacific Ocean, calm and blue. To the west is the seaward Kaikoura mountain range whose peaks reach up to 8,000 feet. On the outdoor platform of the train, I caught a shot of the mountains whose peaks are snow-capped. Christchurch, you may recall, suffered terrible loss and damage in 2011 when an earthquake struck, killing hundreds. Today, they are fully in recovery mode. Unfortunately, we will not see much since we arrived after dark and are scheduled to take the TranzAlpine tomorrow morning.
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