Waikanae – Peka Peka

On 24 October, we went for yet another ride on the Kapiti Coast. This time we parked at Waikanae, near the Waimanu Lagoons, and biked to Peka Peka. We biked down Rutherford Drive and Paetawa Road – the way we used to go, before the Expressway was built with its handy cycle track.

Nothing very new to write about there, but we took some nice photos on the way back. We went back on the Expressway track, but diverted off it at the Waikanae River Bridge. We rode down to the northern bank of the river.

The Expressway Waikanae Bridge and the track down to the river (photo by John)

The track led under the bridge and we found that the pillars had interesting Māori designs on them. These designs were developed in collaboration with the local iwi, Te Atiawa.

Under the bridge (photo by John)

The pillars feature Māori designs, developed by the local iwi, Te Atiawa (photo by John)

We made our way along the river track to the estuary, and the Waimanu Lagoons. These lagoons are a great habitat for a lot of birdlife, and as we biked around the lagoons, we spotted nesting cormorant (shags) in one of the big trees, and a gaggle of fluffy yellow goslings.

The track along the estuary (photo by John)

A gaggle of goslings (photo by John)

Nesting cormorants

We only did 22 km that day, but it had been lovely to be out in the sunshine.

Waikanae to Peka Peka – and an exhibition of tapestries

Last week we had a run of four fine(-ish) days in a row, yay! – no rain, no wind. So nice to see the sun after several “weather bombs”. We had to make the most of the good weather before the next deluge, so we biked four days in a row. Admittedly, two of these rides were very short – one was a “café run”, a 7 km ride to down to our local café and back, and the other was the 8 km ride on the Wellington Waterfront to test the Bickerton (described in the previous blog post).

The other two rides were 20 km. One of them was a ride to the Gear Homestead Café, during which I reached my 5,000 km milestone on my e-bike.

5,000 km on the e-bike

We rode along Te Ara Tawa. However, this beautiful track, which was only completed just over a year ago, is now again inaccessible between Kenepuru and Porirua because of the impending construction of the Kenepuru on- or off-ramp for the Transmission Gully Highway. So cyclists now have to either ride on the road again, or use the footpath.

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On Tuesday 25 July we drove to Waikanae Beach, where we parked near the Waikanae River estuary. We biked on the Kapiti Coastal Cycle Route to Harrisons at Peka Peka. There we had lunch and a wander around the garden centre at Harrisons, then returned to Waikanae on the new Expressway cycle track.

A colourlful display at Harrisons Garden Centre (photo by John)

The junction of Peka Peka Road with the old SH1 is now all tidied up, including access to the cycle track.

Because of the heavy rain we had in the past week, there were areas beside the track that still had standing water, where they wouldn’t normally have, but the track itself was mostly dry – give or take a puddle or two.

Water around fence lines following heavy rain … (photo by John)

… but the track was mostly dry (photo by John)

Some way down the track, we diverted onto a path leading to Smithfield Road. I had sailed past it but John called me back by furiously ringing his bell. The track eventually led to a very lovely stretch of road which turned out to be Ngarara Road. A narrower road went off it and we would have liked to explore further, but it was a private road, so we desisted.

A lovely spot on Ngarara Road (photo by John)

Sadly, this was a private road so we could not explore further (photo by John)

While we were taking photos of the pretty scenery and the peaceful looking cattle, a farmer appeared on the brow of the hill – probably wondering what we were up to.

The steers stopped their grazing to check us out (photo by John)

Before long, Ngarara Road became a bridge over the Expressway, and we joined the cycle track again. The road sign pointed to Ngā Manu Nature Reserve, which I think we should visit some time, maybe on another ride. We have been there once, but that was years ago when our children were still young.

At the junction with Te Moana Road, we left the Expressway track, and pedalled back to our car. Though there are still roadworks going on near the junction as a result of the Expressway, most of Te Moana Road has a nice cycle lane.

Roadworks on Te Moana Road (photo by John)

We diverted off towards the river and the Waimanu Lagoon, and sat on a bench, enjoying the sun, the view and some chocolate! While we were sitting there, the time-lapse camera on John’s bike took a picture of us, which I am now using as a computer screen saver. I call it “Retirement Bliss”.

Between the river estuary and the Waimanu Lagoon (photo by John)

The Waikanae River Estuary (photo by John)

Retirement bliss (photo by John)

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On the way home, we stopped at the Pataka Gallery in Porirua to view an exhibition of tapestries by multiple award winning Peruvian master weaver Máximo Laura. It is a stunning exhibition. Ten large tapestries are on show, all of which made me “drool”! Máximo has an amazing use of colour and his colour blending is exquisite. I love the vibrant colours and the “clean” lines of his designs.

Fruto de Abundancia del Mar IV (Abundance of the Fruit of the Sea)

Hacia la Amada (Journey to my Beloved)

I love the vibrancy of the colours!

As well as his exhibition in Pataka, Máximo Laura has been conducting workshops for NZ tapestry weavers in Wellington and Hamilton. One of my weaving friends, Trish Armour, herself an award-winning tapestry weaver, spent several weeks studying with Máximo in his Lima studio last year. She alerted me to his works, which I have been following on Facebook.

I would dearly love to own one of his tapestries, but unfortunately they are well beyond my financial reach! So I will just have to make do with the photos on my screen saver.

Folding Goldies ride – Te Ara Kapiti

Last Wednesday 17 May we went on another Folding Goldies ride. Dubbed “Kapiti: Expressway and Espresso” by leader Alastair Smith, the plan was to take the train to Waikanae, bike to Peka Peka for coffee at Harrison’s, then ride the cycling and walking trail alongside the Kapiti Expressway to Raumati and Te Ara o Whareroa to Paekakariki, from where we would take the train back to Wellington.

During the week leading up to FG day, I was eyeing the weather forecast, and dreaded what was coming. On the day, we woke to pelting rain, and my reaction was “Forget it, I’m not going”. Several other people who had said they would be coming along, let the group know by email that they weren’t coming after all because of the weather. John and I argued back and forth about whether to go, but then, just before 9 am, the sky seemed to be clearing somewhat, so we headed to the train. “If it is really awful up there, we can just have a coffee and come straight back on the train” John said. There were five of us on the train, and a few more joined us at Waikanae.

At Waikanae station – I don’t know why everyone is looking at me … (photo by John)

Alastair suggested we could ride to Peka Peka on the “old” SH1, which does not have a lot of traffic on it now that the Expressway takes most of it. It wasn’t raining when we got to Waikakane, but by the time we had met everyone (several new people), chatted a bit, and started off, the rain really set in. Parka on, glasses off, hood on under the helmet, gloves on to stop my hands from sliding around on the wet handlebar. Within minutes we were saturated.

Fortunately it didn’t take terribly long to get to Peka Peka, less than half an hour. As expected, there was not a lot of traffic, but we did get doused by a big truck hurtling past.

At Harrison's, we all crowded into the small inside area for our coffee and eats – sitting outside was not an option today.

The rain had abated somewhat when we took to our bikes again, but had not stopped completely. John did instal his waterproof camera on his handlebar, so was able to get some photos.

The rain had abated, but it was still pretty miserable (photo by John)

The track between Peka Peka and Paraparaumu is not sealed, and it was quite muddy and riddled with puddles. Those people who did not have mudguards on their bikes got very mucky indeed, with mud spatters on their legs and all the way up their backs. Our bikes, which John had cleaned just a few days earlier, were all muddy again, despite having mudguards.

The track was rather muddy (photo by John)

By the time we got to Waikanae, the rain had stopped and soon after we even saw some blue sky.

The track diverts from the Expressway for a short distance near the Grace family wāhi tapu land

Waiting for others to catch up at the entrance to Te Ara o Whareroa (photo by John)

From here, where there is a side track overlooking the beach, we could hear the thunder
of the surf (photo by John)

Back at Paekakariki, we took the road along the waterfront to get back to the township. The surf was rolling in strongly. We stopped to take photos.

John waits while his rear-mounted time-lapse camera (under his saddle) takes a photo of Kapiti Island

Kapiti Island and the surf

We stopped at the Perching Parrot Café for lunch and/or more coffee. Lately this café, which used to be closed on Wednesdays, has been opening every day as demand has increased. It was pretty busy, and we moved an extra table to a spot right outside the post office, blocking the PO boxes. A couple of locals came to clear their boxes, and had to ask to be let through …

We scored a table right outside the post office … (photo by John)

… but had to get an extra table to make room for all nine of us (photo by John)

Tucking in to lunch (photo by John)

We took the 2:15 pm train back to Wellington, having biked 35 km – very satisfying, despite the rather wet start.

Kapiti Expressway cycle track

Last Thursday, 9 March, we had our second try at riding the cycle track alongside the new Kapiti Expressway. 

The Expressway had an open day for the general public on 18 February, and the celebrations included people being allowed to walk and cycle on a 5 km stretch of the new road between Paraparaumu and Waikanae. Unfortunately we weren’t able to go, so the following Tuesday, after biking from Paekakariki to Raumati, we wanted to try out the new cycle track that runs alongside it. But it wasn't open for use yet.

Access to the new cycle track at Raumati was still blocked off (photo by John)

We talked to one of the people still working on the completion and he said it would be opening at 3am (!) the following Friday, provided the weather didn’t throw a spanner in the works.

He told us the track would be open the following Friday (photo by John)

By diverting via a couple of Raumati roads, we managed to find a few stretches that were not blocked off, but then we met a man on a tractor, who told us we really should not be there, so we decided to come back another day.

This foot/cycle bridge over the Expressway could be reached from an access road alongside the track,
 but was still blocked off too (photo by John)

So last Thursday, we had another go at it. We drove to Raumati, parked the car in Leinster Ave, just off Poplar Avenue, and biked up to the start of the cycle track.

I was disappointed to find that the track was not completely smooth. It consisted of seal but with a fine gravel surface. We stopped to talk to a couple of surveyors, and asked whether the track was like this all the way. “Yes, and a few bits are worse” they said. I wondered why the track had not been properly sealed, and the short answer was “cost”. Of course.

Two surveyors still working on the track (photo by John)

We were now able to get onto the Rongomau Footbridge. It is an impressive black construction, with a sinuously curved ramp, designed to resemble an eel. It leads to the houses along the old SH1. The signpost pointed across the bridge to “Paraparaumu Shopping Centre”, but I wouldn’t go that way, biking along the old SH1, if I could go on the cycle track instead. However the bridge provided a great view on the Expressway.

The Rongomau Footbridge over the Expressway (photo by John)

View from the bridge looking south … (photo by John)

… and looking north (photo by John)

The track is nice and wide and in most places is a respectable distance away from the Expressway. There are lots of small areas of protected wetlands. We spotted a pukeko and a few ducks already taking possession. No doubt, in time, these areas will become home to more water-loving birds.

We were impressed with the plantings all along the road and cycle track. Plants must have been put in a year ago or more, as they seemed well established. In areas near housing, there were noise reduction walls, which were very attractive too.

One of the protected wetland areas, and a fenced-off culvert.
Note the surface of the track (photo by John)

Attractive, established planting (photo by John)

Noise reduction walls (photo by John)

Seating is provided every so often (photo by John)

I was in awe of all the planning that must have gone into the whole project – road, bridges, cycle track, plantings, wetlands ... No wonder it took three years to complete. It certainly is a beautiful result.

As we approached Paraparaumu, the Expressway went across one of the many new bridges. Here, the cycle track dips below the level of the road to its own bridge across the Wharemauku Stream. The track crosses another shared path, which leads from Coastlands shopping centre to Paraparaumu Beach, past the back of the airport.

The road bridge over the Wharemauku Stream, and the track between Coastlands and the beach

The road bridge on the far left and the foot/cycle bridge in the centre right

The Expressway bridges fly over several roads – Kapiti, Mazengarb, Otaihanga, and Te Moana Roads – while the cycle track crosses them at road level. Some of the crossings have buttons to activate cycle warnings to motorists. At the Te Moana Road traffic lights, there are even separate crossing lights, with appropriate symbols, for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

Push buttons are provided to ensure cyclists’ safety

Between Raumati and Otaihanga, the cycle track runs on the left of the Expressway heading north. At Otaihanga Road, the track goes under the Expressway, and continues on the right hand side.

The bridge over the Waikanae River must be the longest, and here the bike track runs right next to the Expressway. On quite a few occasions, we’ve watched progress during the building phases of this bridge from below, on the Waikanae River track. It was interesting to see it from the top this time.

The Waikanae River bridge (photo by John)

Looking down on the Waikanae River track. There is access to the tracks
on both sides of the river from each end of the bridge

On the bridge, we met a young woman taking photographs. We exchanged hellos, and she said that a bit further along, we would meet the Prime Minister and the local MP. They were cycling a stretch of the track as a “photo opportunity”. I asked who she worked for, thinking she was a newspaper or TV reporter, but she said she worked for the PM – “I’m the PM’s photographer”.

Sure enough, before long, we saw them coming towards us, looking – as one news report described them – “like a pair of Mormons spreading the good word” in their white shirts and ties. 

Bill English, Prime Minister, and Nathan Guy, MP for Otaki

Mr English saw me taking a photo and stopped to talk. He was interested in my e-bike, and asked how far we were going on the track, and how often we biked. He was very patient while I fiddled with my phone to take another photo of him.

Me and the PM – and presumably a bodyguard? (photo by John)

He stopped to chat – only in NZ ... (he probably just wants my vote!)

Just here the cycle track diverts from the Expressway and goes through a short stretch of Waikanae suburban street. I found out later that this circumvents an area of historic Māori land, a wāhi tapu, belonging to the whānau of the author Patricia Grace. She refused to give up her ancestral land for the Expressway, and in 2014, she won her case in the courts. 

Further along, there is a retaining wall, which is decorated with stylised Māori patterns.

The retaining wall below Patricia Grace’s land

Near the intersection with Te Moana Road, we met a cluster of media people, armed with TV cameras and microphones, waiting for Bill English to return. I watched the TV news that evening, and while he commented on lots of other matters, he did not say anything about the Expressway or the cycle track.

Between Te Moana Road and Peka Peka, the surface of the track became rougher. Hopefully this will be remedied as time goes on. Work on the track is still going on, as evidenced by a small digger we encountered along the way.

The track was a bit rough in places (photo by John)

Work on the track is still going on (photo by John)

We made our way to Peka Peka for lunch at Harrisons. The Expressway ends at Peka Peka and rejoins the old SH1. The cycle track stops here too. Although there is signage pointing to Otaki, there are apparently no plans at this stage to extend the cycle track to Otaki, even when the next section of Expressway is built – something which has the Kapiti cycling community up in arms.

Some stretches of the cycle track are also suitable for horse riders – with a strip of grass running alongside it.

The cycle track also functions as a bridle path in some places (photo by John)

Coming up to the Mazengarb Road intersection on our way back (photo by John)

We biked 34 km that day (17 km each way). After we got back to the car, we drove to Paraparaumu Beach for an icecream, but had to use the old SH1 from Raumati, as there is no on-ramp there. However, we enjoyed driving a short stretch of the new Expressway from Paraparaumu to McKay’s on the way home.

Note: Alastair Smith (of Folding Goldies fame) has also written an account (here) of the cycle track, which he refers to as Te Ara Kapiti.