Ride to the Source – West Wind Windfarm at Makara

Last Saturday 5 March, we took part in an e-bike ride to the West Wind windfarm at Makara. We recently joined a Meetup group called the Wellington Chargers, the members of which all ride electric bikes. Organiser Alastair Smith (yes, he’s also organiser of the Folding Goldies – he gets around!) put it this way on the Meetup site: “Let’s check out where the power for our e-bikes comes from, with a ride to the West Wind windfarm at Makara”. Hence the title “Ride to the Source” (his words).

The West Wind Windfarm (photo by John)

Ohariu – Makara – Karori

Oh dear, I haven’t written up any of the rides we have done over the last month! Must get on with it.

On Wednesday 30 September, the day after our Petone to Eastbourne ride, it was still fine, and the forecast for the next few days was not very nice, so we had to make the most of it. We decided on Ohariu Valley, to Makara, and back through Karori. It was lovely, and quiet, only a couple of cars went past.

In the Takarau Gorge we were amazed at the grassy debris hanging in the fence between the road and the stream below. It looked like the stream must have risen to well above road level in the last lot of heavy rains.

Flood debris from the stream below hangs in the fences (photo by John)

When we got to the Makara turn-off, we tried to go up to the West Wind Recreation Park (where the windmills are). There was a sign at the bottom of the road saying the park was closed due to lambing, and would be opened again on 1 October. Well, it was 30 September today, only one day to go! Surely that would not be such a big deal? Stickler John thought we should not go up. But pragmatic me, I reckoned one day would not make any difference. So up the VERY steep road we went. However, we came to a locked gate, with the same message. Aww, darn, too bad!

Taking a breather on the very steep road up to the West Wind Recreation Park (photo by John)

Closed for lambing!

The way back down was great! (photo by John)

So we pedalled on towards Makara Beach, which was deserted. We couldn’t even get an ice cream at the shop/café, as it was closed. Along the way, John spotted a trio of men sitting in camping chairs by the stream. I guess they were probably whitebaiting, but maybe they were just having a companionable chinwag in the sun, away from “her indoors”.

Enjoying the sunshine (photo by John)

Makara Beach (photo by John)

So on towards Makara village and the hill back to Karori. Just at the edge of the beach settlement, I noticed a fence that had been decorated with masses of paua shells. The letterbox in the shape of a cottage completed the rustic effect. 

A paua fence

We made a brief “chocolate” stop at the cemetery by the little church, then tackled the hill. It is quite a climb, and I was looking forward to the descent into Karori. But when we were nearly at the top, John decided to investigate the Skyline Walkway. The sign said “Access to Karori Park”. That’s where we were planning to have lunch, wasn’t it, so why don’t we go down here?

I had reservations about the track. Is it suitable for bikes? John’s comment, “You won't know till you try it”. It started out OK, wide and not too steep.

The beginning of the track looked OK … (photo by John)

We asked a couple of women who were coming up the path, and they said it would be OK. Stupid women! It wasn’t OK, far from it! It was terrible! Very soon it became very narrow, and steep, and rough - lots of tree roots, rocks and hollows.

… then it started to deteriorate

We had to walk and manhandle the bikes over roots, rocks and hollows! (photo by John)

And some of the time we had to push the bikes uphill!

We had to walk the bikes, which was hard to do as they were heavy to hold back, when they wanted to roll down the steep slope. Unbelievably, we met a mountain biker - young, bearded and fit, and patently, bonkers! - who was BIKING UP the track! He waited patiently in a wider bit of the track to let us stumble past, before haring up the hill again. We asked how much further it was to the bottom, and he said this was about half-way. Oh, cripes! We struggled on, and eventually made it down to the park, and the café. Phew! We won't be doing that track again!

After lunch at the busy café - lots of mothers with kids, as it was the school holidays - we biked through the backroads of Karori, through Wilton and on to Crofton Downs. There we took the train back to Johnsonville, as I didn't want to bike through Ngaio and Khandallah, or struggle up any more hills. By the time we got home (we biked from Johnsonville, of course) we had done 39 km - quite enough for one day, especially since we had done 33 km the day before!

Ohariu – Makara Beach – Karori

Yesterday was fine, but windy, and fairly cool. We took the e-bikes on a ride into Ohariu Valley and out to Makara Beach, returning through Karori. Before we went on our Nelson trip, we did this ride as a “try-out” for a longer distance ride with hill climbs. That time, we didn’t make it to Makara Beach, but today we included those extra few kilometres.

As Ohariu Valley is practically the next valley over from where we live, we didn’t need to load the bikes into the car, but biked straight from home. It is a bit of a climb to get over the hill, and then it's a nice long descent into Ohariu Valley.

The descent into Ohariu Valley (photo by John)

I do like the last kilometre before the crossroads – it is such a pretty valley, and the lifestyle blocks look so attractive, with wonderful looking homes on them. But would I want to live there? No, I don't think so. Though I love biking out in the countryside, I’m really a city person. I wouldn’t know what to do with several acres of land, or even a very large garden …

As we came round a bend in the road, we surprised a hawk, feeding off a road-kill possum. It took off immediately, but no sooner had we passed, than it wheeled around and headed back to finish its lunch.

At the crossroads we carried on up the hill, on Takarau Gorge Road, at the end of which we turned right to ride to Makara Beach. We had quite a headwind, with the northerly blowing in from the Tasman. But it is such a lovely landscape, and besides, we had our e-assist!

Makara Stream (photo by John)

Who can resist taking a photo of a delapidated old shed in a lovely landscape? (photo by John)

It was just on midday when we got to Makara Beach. It’s a funny little settlement – a mixture of new, fairly flash looking houses, and rather run-down, untidy baches. There is a café too, which is open from Thursday to Sunday, but we didn’t stop there for lunch. Instead we sat on a large rock, and ate some apple slices, while looking out to sea.

Makara Beach settlement is an interesting mixture of new and run-down houses/baches (photo by John)

Looking out to sea from Makara (photo by John)

After a short break, we headed back up the road towards Makara Village. Then came the hard grind to get over the hill into Karori. I found it harder than the last time we did this ride – probably because of the wind. As we were riding past Karori Park, we found that there was a nice café, overlooking the sports field – a cricket pavilion, in fact – where we stopped for lunch. The food was very good, but the coffee was only so-so.

This pavilion houses the Karori Park Café (photo by John)

During this ride, we were surprised at how much traffic there was. I counted over 40 cars between Johnsonville and Karori. Maybe Friday is the day “everyone” goes into town. When we rode here last time, on a Monday, we met fewer than half a dozen cars.

Interestingly, out in the country, cars were giving us plenty of space, but once we got into the suburbs, they were much less generous. Near the Karori cemetery, a car coming from the opposite direction, cut the corner so badly that he was well into my side of the road. Less than a metre between me and him! I must admit that I let fly an expletive!

We rode home along Wilton Road, Churchill Drive, through Ngaio and Khandallah. We did 45 km, and though I enjoyed the ride, it had felt rather harder than the last time we did this. I was glad to get home.

Ohariu - Makara - Karori loop

We’ve had a week without biking, but yesterday we went on a 39 km loop ride to Makara. John has done this loop a number of times, on each of his four (!) bikes, so he’s reasonably familiar with it. It is an area that is quite lovely, and we have been there by car quite a few times. But because it involves a fair bit of hill climbing, I’ve never been game to bike it. Until now.

Ohariu Valley is practically on our backdoor step, and we’re almost at the highest point of the Johnsonville end of this ride. From our house we have to climb up a short stretch to the start of Ohariu Road, and from there it is a lovely long downhill on Ohariu Valley Road, to the valley floor.

Ohariu Valley Road, coming up to the crossroads (photo by John)

At the crossroads, we headed up the Takarau Gorge Road. Up the hill for a bit, then more downhill. We would not bike this route on a weekend, as it is quite popular with people heading for the beach at Makara, or just going for a drive. But on a weekday, there was not a lot of traffic.

One or two cars passed us, and we kept well to the left. Then a car followed us for some distance, around several twists and turns of the road. We thought the driver was just being extra cautious in not overtaking. But when we were able to pull off the road, we found that following us were, not just three cars, but a panicked sheep. Behind the cars were a farmer on his motorbike and his sheepdog, on a mission to reunite the escaped sheep with the rest of the mob patiently waiting in the yards a little way up the road.

The cars passed, and we waited back so as not to spook the sheep any further. Once the farmer got his renegade sheep back into the yards, we stopped for a chat.

The woolshed and the waiting mob

A little further up the road we went past the entrance to Ohariu Farm, which, as well as being a working farm, is also a wedding venue and conference centre.

The entrance to Ohariu Farm

Another farm’s idyllic setting (photo by John)

Close to the turn-off towards Makara Beach, when I stopped to take a photo, a horse came to the fence, obviously hoping that I had brought him a tasty titbit. He investigated my hands, chomping expectantly, but I had nothing to offer. Soon his white friend came along as well and he was adamant he was going to get something off me. He licked my hand, but when he found nothing there, he got a bit stroppy. His flattened-back ears warned me not to push my luck. I was bitten in the face by a horse when I was 13. I love horses, but as they say, "once bitten, twice shy". 

Snowy's flattened ears were a warning for me to back off (photo by John)

We did not detour to the beach. “Let's leave that for another time” said John. He wanted to get me home in one piece, and we still had to tackle the hill to get out of the valley and into Karori.

At Makara Village, we stopped at the little church on the hill to have a rest and take a wander around the churchyard.

St Matthias’ Church in Makara Village

The church yard (photo by John)

Now we had to bike to the top of the Makara Saddle – a climb of 180 metres over a distance of two-and-a half kilometres. Did I mention we were using our e-bikes? Yes, of course we were, otherwise I wouldn’t have suggested doing this ride. I could not have done this climb with my other bike. But with my e-bike set at level 2 assist for most of the way, and at level 3 for some bits of it, and in a low gear, I managed to get to the top without feeling completely knackered.

Then it was a lovely downhill into Karori. We avoided the main road by going along the edge of Karori Park and using the streets one block back from the main road. We backtracked a little to get to Marsden Village, where we had lunch.

Lunch at the Marsden Village Café (photo by John)

We made our way back to Johnsonville via Wilton and Ngaio – another hill to climb up Churchill Drive. We gave Box Hill a miss by deviating into Simla Crescent. And from Onslow College we avoided busy Moorefield and Middleton Roads, by using the back roads to get home.

The 39 km ride had taken us just over three hours, including a stop for lunch. As well as an enjoyable ride, this had also been an experiment to see how well the e-bike and its battery – and I – would cope with a longer distance and a couple of substantial hill climbs. The bike came through with flying colours, and I did OK too. This, in preparation for a planned trip to Nelson without the car, that we are hoping to do in the next few weeks.

This adventure will involve several stretches of more than 50 km, including hill climbs. Before we go, we will also have to experiment with carrying our luggage, as we will have to carry whatever we will need for a week. No friendly van to transport our stuff this time. It will be an interesting challenge. Watch this space!