“Find someone who sees your madness as magic”
J Strelou
Day 59 to 60
- Day 59 – Waikanae to Plimmerton ; 38 km
- Day 60 – Plimmerton to Wellington ; 32 km
Total hiked: 1692 km
While some people may divide a trail in regards to towns passed, kilometres trotted or the various tracks they complete, I will instead separate the Kāpiti Coast as per the snack stops we took. 🙂
Starting the morning the right way we finished the leftover pizza and cookie time icecream from my birthday celebration (breakfast of champions 😛 ) and watched some of the surf competition from Pipe.
Urban trotting (trying to make road walking sound exciting) was in full swing as we set off from Waikanae towards Wellington. Having just completed the Tararuas we were both happy to not have an immediate morning climb or descent, but the foot rest was short lived as our soles started pounding pavement.
Following along Waikanae River, past a domain, through a board walked estuary and scenic reserve you would’ve thought we had never eaten based on the amount ND and I talked about the food we wanted to consume… more like inhale. With Kāpiti Island in full view from Paraparaumu beach what better place to stop for a coffee and scone break 😉
Along Paraparaumu beach we continued to Raumati beach, through the dunes of Queen Elizabeth Park and onto Paekākāriki. We trotted to Geoff and Sues lovely home in Paekākāriki and were greeted by Geoff, their cute dog and a buffet of salmon, relish, olives and flat bread… delish. After one or three coffees (I struggled to say no) we continued on to the highlight of the day!
Situated between Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay the Escarpment Track traverses high above State Highway 1 and the Wellington railway. Reaching 220 metres above sea level, it passes through Kohekohe forest, ascends many stairs and steep rocky terrain, zig-zags narrow cliff edges and across two swing bridges all to offer spectacular views of the Wellington region, Mt Taranaki, Kāpiti Island and trains screeching past. It was great!
We even saw sheep having a meeting on the train tracks which I thoroughly enjoyed providing commentary for.
The end of track finished very conveniently across from a dairy which provided lots of sugary (for one of us) hydration and set us back on our urban trail through Pukerua Bay and Plimmerton.
The following day bought rain. Lots and lots of rain. And wind. Then some more rain. Unfortunately mixing a windy, wet Wellington with hills wasn’t an entirely enjoyable experience but we tried to make the best of it.
The trail from Porirua passes through the town square (where a coffee stop was greatly appreciated for both an energy boost and hand warmer) along an industrial track and up Colonial Knob/Rangituhi. From the summit we continued along the exposed ridge line towards Mt Kaukau. Unfortunately due to high winds, constant rain and nowhere to shelter from the elements I started to get quite chilly; with a constant fog and not a view insight we decided to descend the track and continue via road.
While not the ideal plan, we had both completed the tracks on our previous visit last year and were happy to be able to hide from the wind in the awning of the buildings. The suburban trot was a reminder of how good we had it just a few days ago in the Tararuas and got us excited for the South Island adventures to come. Well that and every train that zoomed past I yelled TRAIN and was captivated by until it left, who doesn’t find that exciting haha.
Through Trelissick Park, over Te Ahumairangi Hill/Tinakori past the Botanic Gardens and ending at the Cable Car terminus was a flashback from our visit to the city last year. However this time even with mini swamps in both my trail shoes,
I was more chuffed to walk past the Beehive and over the Te Araroa plaque in the concrete knowing I was every bit closer to finishing the North Island.
Oh and this day wouldn’t be complete without another drink stop and catch up with a great friend – thanks Yuhan 🙂
GC Chronicles 
And yet another good read, you put a lot of work into buttering that scone, very focused, glad you made the most of catching up on coffees, get it while you can, enjoy, the North Island is nearly finished – Well Done
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