An Inquisitive Weka on Kapiti Island.One fine sunny Sunday in September I took the first tranz-metro train to Paraparamu where I took the bus from the station down to the Beach, it could have been walked (which I did in fact do on the way back) but feeling like it would be worthwhile to support the local service, as I was the only one around I boarded for the tour of just about every backroad in Paraparamu with a rather enthusiastic driver who told me just about everything you need to know about ‘Paraparam’ and whose bach (holiday house) it was tucked down there on the left etc... So that was fun! Down at the beach it was onto the boat, which you board in a car park) to be towed into the sea by a tractor and then make the 15 minute crossing to Kapiti Island. Kapiti is essentially a bird reserve and has successfully eradicated all European pests (excepting the tourist type) such as mice, rats, sheep along with the worst offender, the Australian marsupial of the Possum. The rainforest is also quite impressive with it gradually maturing since replanting after the end of farming on the island. Most of the rarities were seen except the Kiwi - of course being nocturnal.
Now time for a quick side report on the Welsh Baa, the only Welsh Bar in the Southern Hemisphere! It is pretty much as Welsh as it could get attracting not only the Welsh tourists but also most of the English too. The walls are draped with tea towels depicting things such as Welsh Castles, the Ffestiniog Railway, Legends, Snowdonia and of course a number of Welsh rugby shirts and things signed by Tom Jones. The only dissapointment is no Welsh beer (on tap that is). There is the opportunity to have Brains Bitter and SA, but only from cans!
Looking into the crater of Mt Taranki, with Sharks Tooth on the left and the main Summit on the right.The last weekend of September was a chance to see the last of the winter with a trip to Mt Taranki. Also known as Egmont, it is out on the bit of North Island that juts out into the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by a near perfect volcanic ring-plain! This is emphasised even more by the fact that the Egmont National Park with its protected native forest is almost perfectly circular in shape and forms an approximate 10km radius right around the volcano. You certainly know whether your in or out of the National Park as the boundary is extremely abrupt farmland - dense vegetation! Due to fine settled weather a group of us headed up on Thursday 27 September and after some issues with punctures in tyres ending up with a local farmer lending us his spare car! We were on our way up to Syme Hut on Fanthoms Peak, again for the geologists a subsidiary vent on the South side of the main cone. Arriving up at the hut at 4am it was time for a decent rest while we awaited Ben to re-join us after getting a new tyre sorted out first thing! At midday we left the hut and headed aux summit. A rather steep 500m of ascent over just about a kilometre. Arriving up at the summit crater in the afternoon sun we of course bagged the summit and spent plenty of time absorbing the warmth! Tents were pitched and dinner was had at sunset just before the temperature plummeted well below freezing, a good excuse to climb into the sleeping bags. Saturday we awoke at sunrise, about 6am and spent some time climbing up the other high point on the crater rim, Sharks Tooth while everything was still nice and crisp, with great views of Mt Ruapehu, Tongariro and Nghaurhoe. By lunchtime some other tramping club members (who had decided to leave Wellington at 11pm the night before and make the 4 hour journey to Taranaki and then climb to the summit starting at 4am) joined us on the top. We descended back to Syme hut, where the others were to spend the night, before heading back down to the car park and back to Wellington.
The campsite atop Mt Taranki, from the summit!
Fanthoms Peak from the Crater Rim.And now to finish off with some Wellington stuff, as I haven’t included any pictures of my accommodation and the city yet, so here we go...
Flat 2, Everton Hall - the lounge featuring Jake (L) and Jon (R).
Wellington Waterfront featuring Jon (L) and Jake (R)
Downtown Wellington, (Photo: Jake C)
