And THIS is why Wellington is such a lovely capital city.
Makara Beach. Where else in the world could you find somewhere
quite so special, and so rural and remote right in the heart of a capital
city?
Makara Beach is a tiny suburb in a rugged and wild patch of
Wellington, right on the shore of the Tasman Sea.
It's not a long drive to get there, but literally within 5 or 10 minutes of leaving our house you feel about as far away from a big city as it's possible to feel.
The drive winds through farmland and valleys, with fields of cows, horses, ducks and of course the lovely native pukekos...until eventually you get to the very end of the road and see this:
Just stunning!
There's a spectacular 6km walking track at Makara which takes you up and over the clifftops, past an old Maori pa site and some old WWII gun emplacements.
However, after a late night on Saturday night we were all feeling quite sleepy (and full of colds) yesterday so we decided to take it easy.
A sunny day spent rock-pooling down by the sea was just what the doctor ordered! We wandered around the shoreline, clambered up and down rocks and boulders, collected crabs and water snails, pebbles and paua shells in our buckets and took turns snoozing in the sun.
And when we'd finished, we went for hot chocolates & ice creams at the local cafe, the perfect way to end a day at the beach!
It's not a long drive to get there, but literally within 5 or 10 minutes of leaving our house you feel about as far away from a big city as it's possible to feel.
The drive winds through farmland and valleys, with fields of cows, horses, ducks and of course the lovely native pukekos...until eventually you get to the very end of the road and see this:
Just stunning!
There's a spectacular 6km walking track at Makara which takes you up and over the clifftops, past an old Maori pa site and some old WWII gun emplacements.
However, after a late night on Saturday night we were all feeling quite sleepy (and full of colds) yesterday so we decided to take it easy. A sunny day spent rock-pooling down by the sea was just what the doctor ordered! We wandered around the shoreline, clambered up and down rocks and boulders, collected crabs and water snails, pebbles and paua shells in our buckets and took turns snoozing in the sun.
And when we'd finished, we went for hot chocolates & ice creams at the local cafe, the perfect way to end a day at the beach!
Lovely photographs, it looks like such a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy and Jake
ReplyDeleteI'm the editor of ExpatArrivals.com, a site devoted to developing comprehensive destination guides aimed at easing expat transition abroad. I came across your blog through the course of my research on New Zealand. We are currently in the process of completely updating our guide to New Zealand and I was hoping I could convince you to share some of your expat insight with our site.
Please let me know if you'd be interested in contributing, and do note that in exchange, I can provide you with promotional profile space on our site that you can use to levy exposure for your own pursuits (like your blog or business). Let me know if you'd be interested, and I can provide you with additional information.
Gaby
gaby@expatarrivals.com
I just found your wonderful blog via 'Tots 100' feed that springs up in my blog side bar! So great to see another Brit in Welly blogging! Your photographs and updates are great to read. My hubbie and I have been living here in Welly for 15 years and have 3 Kiwi born daughters. It sure is a magic place and it sounds like your hubbie has a very cool job making the most of it too :)
ReplyDeleteLoving the lighter evenings starting and onset of spring now.
Great to have found your blog too :)