It’s one of our regular haunts here in Wellington – there’s a kids playpark at the base which we absolutely fully utilise to the max and there's a very lovely little cafe at the bottom too.
When we're feeling more active, I love walking up it - I take my iPod and completely switch off from everything, which is a really lovely feeling these days (despite the occasional rather dubious track which has somehow made its way onto my playlist, eg Pants by Lenny Henry??).
Meanwhile, Jake runs up and down it several times a week as part of his mountain endurance training something-or-other......to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what it is he’s doing. All I know is him and his friend are constantly running up and down mountains in preparation for some ultra marathon next year, and that it also involves much purchasing of sports gels, power drinks and new shoes.
It’s not actually a very high mountain. In fact we often wonder whether we should be referring to it as a hill or a mountain? (What’s the actual definition of a hill, I wonder?) Anyway, Kau Kau is just 445 metres above sea level, but it’s pretty steep and rocky and muddy so it’s quite a challenging walk/run.
Having said that, the kids have managed the climb twice now (although Alfie’s efforts were rather pathetic and involved a lot of carrying) and when I'm on my own I can get up to the top within half an hour.
At the top you get brilliant views of the city, the harbour, the wind farm, and the numerous mountain ranges which surround Wellington. On clear days we can also see right across to snow-capped mountains in the South Island. Beware anyone who visits us in Wellington and is looking for a relaxing time - we WILL be taking you up Kau Kau!
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