The Antipodean Express
$44.99 Tax Included
A journey by train from New Zealand to Spain
(Due for release US Nov 24)
A railway adventure tracing a journey from the author’s home in New Zealand to its exact antipodes in rural Spain. The narrative recounts 89 consecutive days of travel with 33 trains through 19 countries. It describes most of the great trains of the Eurasian hemisphere, from New Zealand’s Northern Explorer to the Eurostar and everything in between. Full of people, memories, history, and places – anyone interested in travel, trains, food, music and cultures will love taking this armchair journey
Specifications: Paperback | 235 x 155mm / 9.25 x 6.25 in | 296 Pages
Gregory Hill, born in Auckland, diverted from his country’s obsession with sport to pursue a passion for the French horn, which eventually led to his career in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Despite living in a country with a basic passenger train service, he nurtured a fascination for long-distance train travel, which he finally indulged in after his retirement.
In the year between ending his career and the world coming to a standstill, Gregory undertook an epic journey by rail from New Zealand to Spain. He now lives in Wellington with his violinist wife Anne, cherishing his two adult sons and two grandsons.
Author
An epic journey from New Zealand to Spain, celebrating the enduring romance of travel by train.
When Gregory Hill set out to travel from his home in Wellington, New Zealand, to its antipodes – the furthest point from it on the globe – he knew it would be an incredible adventure. What he didn’t anticipate was that his journey would be one of the last of its kind before pandemic and war would make such an undertaking impossible. This turned what could simply be a captivating travel log into a meaningful reminder of the joy and privilege of setting out on an epic adventure.
The journey of The Antipodean Express takes in 89 days of travel, on 33 trains, through 19 countries. It begins in New Zealand’s North Island, weaves past the volcanoes of Java, through East Asia and on into Europe. From hilarious miscommunications in China to cultural immersion at the Bolshoi Ballet, there are stop-offs with half a world’s worth of impressions, people, history, food, music and culture. Hill also describes most of the great trains of the Eurasian hemisphere, from New Zealand’s Northern Explorer to the Eurostar, and everything in between.
The culmination is a day spent in the obscure Spanish village of Alaejos, locating the exact antipodes of the author’s living room. The perfect end to a vast adventure, and a last look at an era of such ambitious journeys.
Author
Public Service News
“Well illustrated with maps and photos, The Antipodean Express is a fun armchair journey with Gregory and Anne, with musical interludes, and a vivid travel chronicle filled with surprising global insights and fascinating railway anecdotes. A captivating travel log has been converted into an expressive reminder of the privilege and enjoyment that can be derived from setting out on a grand railway exploration. Always making sure to keep on the right track(s) – so to speak!”
The Otago Daily Times
“Hill’s book is well illustrated, and he writes in a highly engaging and descriptive style with a wonderful irreverence for which the word flippant might be generously mild, of the numerous towns and villages one would never see any other way”
NZ Listener
“Hill displays an infectious enthusiasm and engaging wide-eyed innocence. The Antipodean Express provides an amiable dollop of armchair travel with a genial companion who ends his long expedition with… what else but a refreshing sangria and victory dinner in Salamanca.”
School Days Magazine
“Well written and a thoroughly enjoyable story. Gregory Hill has a most wonderful sense of humour as he describes situations and people’s foibles that they met on this epic journey. There were many times that I laughed, smiled or was sitting on the edge of my seat. It certainly is an enjoyable page turner.”
InReview
“For lovers of train travel it’s all about the journey. And what a journey Gregory Hill and his wife Anne Loeser took – 89 days of travel, on 33 trains through 19 countries.
The journey is chronicled rather beautifully in Gregory’s book The Antipodean Express which is subtitled A Journey by Train from New Zealand to Spain.
To my mind this trip is right up there with some of the great rail journeys I have followed involving Michael Portillo, Paul Theroux, Joanna Lumley, and, among others, Michael Palin.”
Our Generation Magazine
“A railway adventure tracing a journey from the author’s home in New Zealand to its exact antipodes in rural Spain. The narrative recounts 89 consecutive days of travel with 33 trains through 19 countries. It describes most of the great trains of the Eurasian hemisphere, from New Zealand’s Northern Explorer to the Eurostar and everything in between. Full of people, memories, history, and places – anyone interested in travel, trains, food, music, and cultures will love taking this armchair journey.”
ABC Melbourne Afternoons with Trevor Chapel (Broadcast Statewide in Victoria)
“The Indian Pacific and the Ghan are like luxurious cruise ships on rails”
Travel Writer’s Radio – author Greg Hill.
“The trip was not about getting to the destination. It was about the journey itself,”
Gourmet On The Road
“Enjoy travelling vicariously with some quirky companions? How about a journey from New Zealand to Spain undertaken almost entirely by train? Meet amusingly eccentric French horn player Gregory Hill and his German violinist wife Anne. Well-illustrated with maps and photos, this is a fun armchair journey with Gregory and Anne with musical interludes including the Bolshoi Ballet and the Paris Opera
Kristen Rabe | Foreword Review
“Inspiring and unexpected, The Antipodean Express is a delightful account of a New Zealand couple’s extraordinary adventures to reach the other side of the globe.”
Library Journal
“One man’s intriguing story about a long-planned trip across half of globe. The book may help readers plan their own dream adventures.”