Paekakariki to Paraparaumu

On 20 December, we had a beautiful day, so having done some shopping in Porirua, we drove further north to Paekakariki to bike the Whareroa track. Of course we had to start with coffee at The Perching Parrot in Paekakariki.

The inside of The Perching Parrot has some interesting decorative details (photo by John)

Ready to go (photo by John)

Alongside Te Ara o Whareroa there are masses of yellow lupins (Lupinus arboreus), but unfortunately it was a bit too late to see them all in bloom. John had seen the start of them when he went on the Waikanae to Peka Peka Folding Goldies ride the previous month, but I didn't go on that ride. However there were still quite a few lupin blooms out, enough to get a whiff of their fragrance every so often, very nice. We must make an effort to go there next year at just the right time to get the full glory of them (end of November).

Lots of lupins beside the track, but they had mostly finished flowering (photo by John)

From the end of the track at Poplar Ave, we rode into Raumati and ended up at the beach. Though it was not a weekend, there were quite a few people around, as the school holidays had already started.

Raumati Beach (photo by John)

John had to fix something on his saddle, and while he was doing that, a man sitting in his car alongside, watched him with interest. When we were about to go, he had some questions about the bikes, and we had quite a chat.

John had to fix his saddle

While John was attending to his saddle, he placed the camera that is usually fixed to the back of it, on the ground, where it continued to take photos (it is set on a two-minute-interval time lapse). It took this picture, which he dared me to include here. Not a pretty sight – rather solid calves thanks to lots of Scottish country dancing, and biking, and an SCD 90 degree stance! Oh, cringe!

A pair of sturdy pins obscure the view to Kapiti Island (photo by John)

We carried on to Paraparaumu, where we stopped for an ice-cream. John turned his bike around so the camera would take pictures of us while we were enjoying the sun and the ice cream.

Enjoying an ice cream in the sun at Paraparaumu (photo by John)

We returned by a slightly more inland route to Raumati – not so much traffic – and back to Paekakariki. There we sat on a bench overlooking the beach for a bit, then rode to the end of The Parade, where the surf club is, and back again. All up we did 32 km, very satisfying.

The seafront along The Parade at Paekakariki (photo by John)