Miramar Peninsula and Island Bay Cycleway

Last Friday, 15 April, it was a cloudless and calm day – or so we thought – and it seemed like a perfect day for a bike ride. We thought we would bike around the whole of the Miramar Peninsula. So I skipped my Zumba class and we headed into town to park near Greta Point.

It turned out we had misjudged the weather slightly. Driving into town, we could see there were clouds hovering over the city and Miramar, and when we got our bikes out of the car, we found there was a brisk southerly. It is a bit deceptive – living, as we do, in the lee of a hill that shelters us from the southerly, we weren’t aware that there was any wind at all. Not to worry, we came prepared – our soft shell windproof jackets kept the wind out, and our bodies warm.

The saga of John’s back-facing camera (iPhone) continues. He bought a “selfie stick” – amazingly, those things are available at the supermarket these days! Not because he wanted to indulge in taking selfies, but because he wanted the phone-holding bracket on the end of the stick, and the blue-tooth remote control gadget that came with it. So he’s now attached the bracket under his saddle – facing the back, of course – and the remote control device on his handlebar, so he’s able to take single rear-facing photos when we are riding in an interesting place. He uses his rear-view mirror to see what he will be snapping. 

John mounted his iPhone below his saddle. It can be charged from the bike's battery (photo by John)

Wellington South Coast

This blog post is out of sequence. I've got so many to catch up on, I had forgotten about this one.

On Monday 14 December, the day before we went on our ride with Pat (described below), John and I went for a ride on Wellington's South Coast. They say “you can't beat Wellington on a good day”. This was such a day.

We parked near Lyall Bay and rode along the foreshore. The sea was flat and a gorgeous colour.

Tapu te Ranga Island, off Island Bay (photo by John)

Wellington South Coast and a Ceilidh

It’s been a sparse fortnight when it comes to biking. The weather has been wintry – cold, wet and windy. On a couple of days when the weather was OK, we had a bit of a pedal around the suburb, but nothing worth writing about. The Folding Goldies ride we were supposed to have done on 4 June was postponed twice because Alastair (the “leading light” of the group) has been unwell.

Meanwhile, I was given the “hurry-up” last week by one of my regular readers. “No bike blog this week!” she said. My reply “No biking, the weather has been awful” was met with “But I need my blog fix – I like to have my cup of coffee and read your blog!”. Well, it’s nice to know that someone is looking forward to my ramblings. Well then, here we go. We managed a ride this past weekend.

On Saturday, it finally was a beautiful day, though windy, and it would have been quite good for a ride, but John wasn’t feeling up to it. So we were delighted when the weather gods smiled on us with another gorgeous calm day on Sunday.

The plan was to bike along the South Coast, always an interesting place to bike, with wonderful views as you wind in and out of all the bays. On such a beautiful day – relatively warm and windless – most of Wellington’s population seemed to have come out of the woodwork. Progress along Oriental Parade was very slow, as cars were desperate for somewhere to park, with families keen to join the throng walking, biking or simply sitting in the sunshine.

At Lyall Bay, we parked near the entrance to the Wellington Aero Club, and through the wire fence, we watched a man preparing to take off in what looked like a small vintage aircraft. Thanks to Wikipedia, John tracked it down to be a Chinese-built Nanchang CJ6 Basic Trainer, dating back to 1958.

Going through pre-flight checks (photo by John)

Looking down Cochrane Street towards Lyall Bay, we saw sea spray flying up, and we realised that there was a big swell with wild waves. With the weather in Wellington being so calm – even to the extent of yachts on the harbour being becalmed, apparently – this was quite a surprise. The swell had been caused by an atmospheric low on the east of the South Island.

It was pretty spectacular. Three- or four-metre high waves were crashing into the bay. Quite a tourist attraction. I’ve never seen so many people on Lyall Parade.

Three- or four-metre waves come crashing into Lyall Bay. That speck in front of the wave is a surfer.
(photo by John)

We first turned left onto Moa Point Road, towards the airport underpass. There were cars parked all along the seaward side of the road, many of them, it appeared, belonging to keen surfers. Intrepid young guys were entering the water from here – save having to paddle out first, I suppose. Wow, rather them than me!

Looking for a good jumping-off place (photo by John)

There they go!

We talked to a pair of cyclists who had come from the other side of the airport underpass, and they said that there was water in the tunnel and that the power of the waves was pushing up the storm water drain covers. By the time we finished our ride, and came back to this end of Lyall Bay, the road to Moa Point had been closed, and waves were washing over the carpark as the tide was nearing its peak.

We made our way along Lyall Parade, riding on the road rather than on the shared cycling/footpath, as there were so many people just standing there watching the waves.

One of many surfers heading out to catch the big one (photo by John)

That’s what it looked like when it broke (photo by John)

The steps down to the beach had been destroyed by the waves – perhaps in the last big swell
 a few weeks ago? (photo by John)

Near Waitaha Cove we spotted two colonies of sea birds: white seagulls on one side, and only a few metres further along, a group of black oyster catchers. I love their red beaks and eyes (click on the photo to enlarge it).

Seagulls at Waitaha Cove … (photo by John)

… and the oyster catchers

The rocks before Houghton Bay (photo by John)

The fury of the waves

Around the point towards Houghton Bay, where the waves rolling in looked somewhat more disciplined. But it was deceptive, because, a little further on, past the beach carpark, the road was covered in wave-tossed debris. Sightseeing cars were driving past very carefully, and we had to get off and walk, all the while watching out for that next swamping wave.

“Disciplined” waves rolling into Houghton Bay (photo by John)

Wave-tossed debris on the road at Houghton Bay (photo by John)

At the next bay – Island Bay – the normally placid waters of the bay were considerably churned up. Taputeranga Island, after which Island Bay is named, looked an even more likely prospect for an exciting "Five on a Treasure Island" adventure (I have this fantasy that this island would be a perfect Famous Five setting).

The pointy end of Taputeranga Island and the churned-up waters in the bay (photo by John)

All along the road, people were enjoying the spectacle. Some were staying safe, others took silly risks by getting too close to the waves. We took some photos near a rocky outcrop, where a father and his three young boys were watching the waves. “You should never get too close to the waves, or you might get swept off” I heard one of them say. “Yes” said the other “a tsunami would be fifty times as big as that!”.

Father and sons, learning about big waves

Close to Owhiro Bay, the waves were splashing onto the road, and we crossed to the other side to avoid a dousing.

Water, rocks and other debris on the road near Owhiro Bay and sea spray fills the air

A small “art installation” on the end of a tree trunk-sized piece of driftwood

This shed looks like it will be able to withstand the elements

By 3 pm we were on our way back to Lyall Bay. The clear skies were starting to show a few clouds over the hills and the city. Somewhere along here I watched a Qantas plane coming in for landing, right above a huge wave rolling into Lyall Bay. It was as if the plane was riding the wave. Quite clever. Too bad I wasn’t quick enough with my camera.

Looking towards Lyall Bay (photo by John)

From Lyall Parade we went up Onepu Road to the Elements Café, for coffee. A much better proposition than trying to get into the Spruce Goose, where the view would have been better, but the wait to be served much longer. On the way back to the car, we discovered the newly opened Leonie Gill Pathway, which runs between Lyall Bay and Kilbirnie. We rode along just some of it, as we were conscious of the time (we were expecting a guest for dinner).

The Leonie Gill Pathway (photo by John)

The ride was only 16 km, but it was a good one!

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A Ceilidh

On the Saturday night before this ride, we attended the 16th Annual Celtic Family Dance, organised by Mary and Duncan McDonald.

Duncan and Mary are Scottish country dancers, and Mary is a Scottish fiddler (violinist) and a primary school teacher, who teaches her kids Scottish country dances. They started organising these family dances to encourage people – families, children and friends – who are not Scottish country dancers to come along and try some dancing with a Scottish flavour. Anyone can join in – you don't need to know any of the dances beforehand.

A ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is a great fun event, with dances that are much less “disciplined” than Scottish country dancing, and kids especially love it. Every year Mary organises her friends from the Scottish country dance band “Schiehallion” to play for the ceilidh, and she teaches the dances as the evening goes along.

Schiehallion Scottish Country Dance Band (photo by John)

People are lined up, listening to Mary’s instructions (photo by John)

As Mary advises all the local SCD clubs of this dance, there were quite a few of us SC dancers there. And in the middle of the evening, three sets (a set consists of eight people) of Scottish Country dancers did a demonstration of “Mairi’s Wedding”, a very popular dance – hopefully to entice non-SC dancers to want to take up SC dancing.

A “round-the-room” dance, later in the evening, when a lot of people had already gone home
 (photo by John)

We have attended this annual event for the last five years, and we always have a wonderful time.

Wellington South Coast

On Thursday 30 October we went for a ride on the Wellington South Coast. It was a lovely day, but there was a northerly blowing.

We rode from Lyall Bay to Owhiro Bay. There was a great view of the South Island, with the snow on Tapuaenuku, the highest peak of the Seaward Kaikouras, standing out.

Great view of the South Island from near Island Bay (photo by John

A flock of seagulls at the outlet of the Owhiro Stream (photo by John)

At Owhiro Bay, we carried on towards the end of the road, where the path to Red Rocks begins. The path looked a lot more civilised than it did a year-and-a-bit ago, when a southerly storm had ‘rearranged’ the coast. Still, I was not game to go cycling on it – not this time anyway. But I was intrigued to see how neatly the shadows showed up the steps of the old quarry.

The old Owhiro Bay quarry

We turned around and at Island Bay, we diverted into The Parade, heading towards the local shops. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with regard to the City Council’s plans to install cycle lanes. There is a cycle lane on the outside of parked cars on both sides of the road. I gather that there are plans to move it to be between the footpath and the parked cars. And some local residents have objected.

The Wellington Cycling Advocates Network has been very active in liaising with the City Council to get the best results for cyclists and for the community in the area. Their recent submission to the Council makes interesting reading.

On the corner of Reef Street and The Parade is a building with a mural on it. It depicts a scene of Island Bay with its fishing boats. The building once housed a restaurant, but is now a gallery owned by artist Michael McCormack, and I guess he painted the mural. We didn’t go inside, but I think we should have. I like the work that’s on his website.

Michael McCormack Studio Gallery, on the corner of Reef Street and The Parade (photo by John)

We stopped to have lunch at the Blue Belle Café – so-so coffee, but very nice roast vege salad – then walked our bikes along the footpath to the end of the shopping area, before turning around for the return journey. There is no cycle lane in the shopping area (I think that this is what some of the above-mentioned fuss is about).

Lunch at the Blue Belle Café (photo by John)

The cycle lane runs along most of The Parade between the shops and the beach (photo by John)

Back along the waterfront, John took a photo of the repairs being made to the road at Princess Bay, which was damaged by last year’s June storm. Approaching it, I marvelled at how high above the beach it was, and yet that storm caused such damage. The breakers must have been absolutely mountainous!

Repairs to the road at Princess Bay (photo by John)

We got back to the car, having biked 18 km. On the way home, we stopped at Burke’s Cycles, where John wanted to get some new free-wheel cassettes. He had replaced the chains on our bikes, and during this ride it turned out that the smallest sprocket skipped under load, as it was also worn. Not surprising, since the bikes have done more than 2,300 km by now. Since then, he has also replaced the rear brake pads, as they, too, are worn. Very handy to have your own in-house bike mechanic! And John actually enjoys having projects like this to work on.

While we were there, John had a long chat with Simon, the guy who sold him our folding bikes, about electric bikes. He told us they are the up-and-coming trend. They sell at least one or two electrically assisted bikes every week. There is a folding electric bike in the shop, and Simon suggested we could have a try of it around their back yard. Very nice! It would make all the difference on those Wellington hills. Nice price too, though. And rather heavy – it would be a mission to heave them into our little car! But we think such bikes may be in our (near?) future …

Wellington South Coast

During Queen’s Birthday Weekend we had glorious weather which lasted until the following Wednesday. We managed to go for three rides in four days. The first one, on Saturday 31 May, was along Wellington’s south coast.

We parked at the airport end of Lyall Bay. It was just about lunchtime when we got there, so we decided to check out the new-ish café “The Spruce Goose” first. The situation of this large café is perfect, as it overlooks both the beach and the airport runway. The building was once the home of the Wellington Aero Club, and it was moved to the present site last year. It has since been done up and the café opened for business in early December.

It was extremely busy, and the downstairs was pretty well packed, as were the terraces at each end of the building. But one of the staff showed us upstairs, where there is another large airy room with a deck and a fabulous view.

The view from the Spruce Goose’s deck towards the airport runway …

… and towards Lyall Bay Beach (photo by John)

The upstairs room at the Spruce Goose (photo by John)

The coffee was good, but the service quite slow as it was very busy. It was nearly 1pm by the time we left the café and set off on our ride along Lyall Bay, in the direction of Owhiro Bay.

On such a clear day the South Island can be seen from all along the south coast. Following a recent cold snap, there was snow on the top of Mt Tapuaenuku (or Tapuae-o-Uenuku) which dominates the Inward Kaikouras. At 2885 m, this mountain is the highest peak in NZ outside the Southern Alps. NZ's most famous mountaineer, Sir Edmund Hilary, reminisced that, in 1944, this was the first mountain he ever climbed. He referred to it as “Tappy”.

The South Island with Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku, seen from Island Bay. Taputeranga Island is in the foreground (photo by John)

At Houghton Bay, the road climbs a bit above the coastline, and there is a lovely view over the beach. This is a popular surfing spot, but there were no surfers today. John took several photos of the waves rolling onto the beach to try and capture that perfect curve of froth.

The surf rolls onto the beach at Houghton Bay (photo by John)

The road comes down to almost beach level again, and by the carpark, we found a new memorial. It is one of the propellers of the Royal NZ Navy frigate HMNZS Wellington, which was decommissioned in 1999, and scuttled off Houghton Bay in 2005. The wreck sits at a depth of about 21m, so that it is accessible to scuba divers. The propeller was installed in this position in December 2013.

The propeller of HMNZS Wellington at Houghton Bay (photo by John)

It didn’t take us long to get to Owhiro Bay. The carpark at the entrance of the Red Rocks track was quite full, and there were lots of people driving, walking and riding trail bikes on the track. It is not a track I would like to bike on, so we turned around and went back to Lyall Bay. It had been a pleasant 16 km ride, which took less than 1.5 hours.

The rocks off Island Bay at low tide. The headland in the distance on the left is Baring Head, on top of which you can just make out the lighthouse (click to enlarge) (photo by John)

Seagulls on the Island Bay seawall

Wellington South Coast - again

And another lovely day for cycling on Saturday! A fine day, with a light southerly breeze. Where to go this time? We tossed up between Pencarrow, or Hutt River or Wellington South Coast. The latter won.

On our way to Owhiro Bay, we drove past Carlucci Land, a park with weird and wonderful sculptures made from all manner of old machinery and metal junk. I’ve been meaning to go and have a look in there for years, but somehow it was never the right time – it is in the shade in the afternoon. We didn’t want to stop on the way to our ride, but thought we might on our way back. But again, it was too late by the time we headed home, so it will have to wait for another day – soon, I hope.

We parked the car at the end of the road, near the Owhiro Quarry, and the beginning of the track to Red Rocks. We were surprised at how many cars were there. It’s quite a large parking area and we got the last spot. The gate to the Red Rocks road was open, and quite a few 4WD cars were driving through.

We got the last car park near the Owhiro Quarry

From a distance, the track looked in much better condition than when we visited here after the 20 June storm. So we thought we would try riding it, and see how far we could get. Not terribly far, as it happened. It was still very rough, and the gravel was quite deep, so rather unstable. So we turned around and did the easy thing – riding on the foot/cycle path towards Island Bay.

The Red Rocks track was rough and the gravel deep and unstable

I am so glad we’ve got ourselves into this cycling-exploring lark. We get to see so much more from a bike than from a car. And I really appreciate the beauty of the Wellington coast more than ever.

Rocks near Owhiro Bay beach (photo by John)

Although it was not very windy, there was a bit of a swell ... (photo by John)

… and quite a surf – maybe a rip? – at Houghton Bay Beach (photo by John)

At Island Bay there is a building sitting on a rocky outcrop, called the Bait House. It houses the Island Bay Marine Education Centre, and an aquarium. I have never been inside, as fishes are not exactly my thing. Next to it is a large rusting cauldron – a former whaling pot – and nearby there is also a large anchor. This area was badly “re-arranged” by the 20 June storm, but all looked very calm and tidy today.

Old whaling pot next to The Bait House – Island Bay Marine Education Centre

Taputeranga Island is quite close to the shore. In the distance is the South Island, with recent snow on the Kaikouras

Someone had carefully balanced this piece of driftwood on the rocks (photo by John)

Approaching Lyall Bay, we were able to divert from the foot/cycle path, by going on a gravel track that skirted the water more closely.

Heading towards Lyall Bay (photo by John)

We continued around the bays till we got to Lyall Bay. There were a lot of people on the beach, children digging in the sand, and people playing with their dogs on part of the beach that was signposted as "Woof Woof Ruff Dog Exercise Area". All the debris that had been deposited on the beach by the June storm, was no longer there, and I wondered where it had all gone. Did people collect some of it to mulch their gardens, or was it collected by the council and dumped? Or probably - much more likely - it just got carried back out to sea.

At the airport end of the bay, there were a few surfers and paddle boarders riding the waves.

Surfers in the Lyall Bay surf. The Interisland ferry on the horizon (photo by John)

A caravan called “Ekim”, selling burgers of all descriptions, seemed to be doing good business, as there were quite a few people sitting on the benches near it, waiting for their orders. I asked if they did coffee, but the reply was “no, but we can do you a coffee milkshake”.

Ekim burgers galore! (photo by John)

So we had some coffee milkshakes, and a pottle of chunky chips. I hadn’t had a coffee milkshake for years. I used to make them regularly when my children were at school. They’d have milo milkshakes, and I’d have a coffee milkshake, when they came home from school. I must say my milkshakes – made with ice-cream – were nicer than the ones we had from Ekim, which had rather too much “thickener” in them. But their chips were very nice. And their burgers looked spectacular – but we didn’t have one.

We enjoyed watching the surfers while we had our shakes and chips, and John played “fetch the stick” with a dog that deposited a stick at his feet. The dog sat on the sand amongst the rocks, and waited patiently for John to take up the challenge. Unfortunately with the onshore wind, the stick did not fly very far, and soon both John and the dog gave up on the game.

Surf's up! (photo by John)

After our snack interlude, we rode back to Owhiro Bay without stopping. It took us just half an hour. We’d had a lovely afternoon’s riding. We did just over 17 kms.