Kapiti and a Pukerua Bay sunset

Saturday 27 June was a beautiful day – in Wellington at least – and we drove up to the Kapiti Coast for a long bike ride. We parked the car at the southern end of Marine Parade in Paraparaumu and started our bike ride on the new-ish shared walking/cycling path alongside the beach, with lovely views towards Kapiti Island.

About to get the bikes out of the car (photo by John)

Kapiti Island (photo by John)

We rode along Manly Street and some of the smaller roads running parallel to it, and did a little detour to Olive Terrace, where my parents used to live. From there, down a path between the houses, across Manly Street, and onto a track leading into the Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve.

The narrow track alternates between firm gravel on solid ground, and boardwalks over swampy areas. Very pleasant riding. According to the website, this is the habitat and breeding ground of more than 60 species of birds, but we didn’t see any of these.

The track alternates between firm gravel … (photo by John)

… and boardwalks over swampy areas (photo by John)

Bridging a stream feeding into the estuary (photo by John)

Low tide leaves the mudflats exposed

After the Estuary Reserve, the track goes alongside the Waikanae River, to arrive at the Otaihanga domain. This area suffered serious flooding in May and several places where we biked today showed the resulting damage.

We crossed the swing bridge at the domain, and headed through Waikanae towards PekaPeka. The destination was Harrisons Garden Centre Café. Riding along the road, we cranked up the e-assist on our bikes and pedalled on at speed. Yeehaa! Very satisfying.

As we were about to sit down on the deck at Harrisons, I suggested that we should sit under the sun umbrella – though by now the sun had disappeared behind the clouds – as it would protect us from the fall-out from the sparrows in the nearby tree. But it was too late. John had already been bombed by one of the pesky critters! The one negative about an otherwise very pleasant lunch.

On the way back we rode through the Waimanu Lagoons Reserve, where we saw a family with a young child feeding a large gaggle of geese. The lagoons are home to many geese, ducks, black swans, and shags (cormorants).

One of the Waimanu lagoons (photo by John)

Feeding the geese (photo by John)

From here we rode up the Waikanae River track. The May floods had inflicted a great deal of damage here. Debris carried along by the swiftly flowing swollen river had been left behind, wrapped around tree trunks and hanging on fences. The track had been scoured out, the water had gouged out great holes in places, and carried away a lot of top surface gravel, leaving behind silt.

Flood debris caught around tree trunks (photo by John)

Scoured-out track

An un-bikeable track and debris hanging in the fences

The waters dug great holes in the track (photo by John)

About half-way along the track are the construction works for the Kapiti Expressway. The piers for the bridge across the river are in place now. Apparently they are three metres wide and 38 meters deep. Impressive.

Piers for the Kapiti Expressway bridge (photo by John)

In most places the ground had dried out, but in other spots the track was a slippery quagmire. We thought it safer to dismount and carefully walk around the edge, but even that was a bit hazardous. A little while later we were overtaken by a chap on a mountain bike who – we could tell by the state of his bike – had relished ploughing and skidding right through it.

A seriously muddy patch (photo by John)

At the Te Arawai footbridge we crossed to the south bank of the river. The track here is wider and in better condition – mostly – but here too, the floods had left their mark.

It’s hard to believe that such a benign-looking river could have caused such floods (photo by John)

We stopped for more photos of the Kapiti Expressway construction on the other side of the river. More evidence of the floods, with debris hanging in the fences and water remaining in places.

The Expressway works on one side of the track … (photo by John)

… and on the other side. Water left behind by the flood provides perfect reflections (photo by John)

Just before getting back to the Otaihanga Domain, we rode on a section of track that was very rough. We biked here last summer when they had just finished laying a new hard-packed fine gravel surface. That had all been washed away. What a shame.

A lovely stand of cabbage trees (Cordyline australis) (photo by John) 

Heading back to the estuary track (photo by John)

It was after four o’clock by the time we got back to the car. We had done 42 km, and were very pleased with our ride.

As we drove home, down the Centennial Highway – the bit between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay – we could see that the sun would be setting soon, and we decided to go down to Pukerua Beach to watch the sun going down. It had got quite cloudy during the day, and the sun was about to dip below the clouds.

Sunset at Pukerua Bay

We parked the car, and got the bikes out again, thinking we could bike around the point as far as the road or track would allow us to go. At the end of the road there is a tall Māori carving – Pou Tangaroa – created by Pukerua Bay craftsman carver Hermann Salzmann. It looked rather impressive in the gathering gloom.

Pou Tangaroa

Our bikes with their lights turned on (photo by John)

Soon our progress along the walking track was blocked by huge piles of driftwood on the track and beach.

The track had disappeared under piles of driftwood

As the sun was setting John took dozens of photos of the descent of the golden globe into the sea, and to capture the very second it disappeared altogether. He particularly likes the effect that is created when the sun seems to be the shape of a lightbulb.

Going … (photo by John)

… going … (photo by John)

… gone (photo by John)

Though the sun had gone down, it was not dark yet, so we rode down to the other end of the beach settlement.

Pukerua Beach (photo by John)

Dinghies pulled up off Brendan Beach (photo by John)

Driftwood on Brendan Beach

This is as far as we could go (photo by John)

John likes the almost metallic look of the water (photo by John)

It was fully dark by the time we left Pukerua Bay. We’d had a most satisfying day.

Folding Goldies and a midwinter dinner

On Thursday 25 June, we finally did the Folding Goldies ride that had originally been scheduled for 4 June but was postponed because Alastair, the instigator of the group, had been unwell.

The original plan had been to take the 9:05 am train to Trentham, then bike down the Hutt River Trail, continue from Petone to Days Bay, and then to take the harbour ferry back to town. Things changed a bit when Paraparaumu resident John B suggested a later train, as he had to get himself into Wellington first. So the 10:05 train it was.

We boarded at Petone (it is easier to park there than in town), and met the others on the train. A very small group we turned out to be – just us plus Alastair and John B. The others on the mailing list were either unable to come or forgot.

From Trentham station we rode down Totara Street to Trentham Park. A good path led across the park, and through an area of bush, and delivered us onto the Hutt River Trail.

On the Trentham Park bush track. From left: John B, Désirée, Alastair (photo by John)

It was a very leisurely ride down to Lower Hutt, where it was decided that there would not be enough time to get to the last “Gold Card” sailing of the ferry at 12:40, so we diverted to Janus Bakkerij for lunch. A pleasant hour or so was spent chatting. Since we last saw Alastair, he and his wife had been to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, which sounded like quite an adventure. His blog about the trip makes for an interesting read. He also told us he had upgraded to a new electric bike (a Scott with a Bosch mid-drive) with an easier step-through than his old one.

We flagged the idea of going to Days Bay, and rode back to the Petone foreshore, for us to go back to our car, and the others to take the train back to town.

View to Somes Island and Wellington beyond – from the Hikoikoi Reserve (photo by John)

In the Hikoikoi Reserve (photo by Alastair with John’s camera)

We were happily pedalling along Petone foreshore, when John sensed something wrong with his bike. Yep, a 5 cm nail, right through his rear tyre. Darn! and we only had another kilometer and a bit to go! I suggested I could bike on, get the car, and pick him up, but John decided to fix the problem right there and then. The inner tube was punctured right through, and he had to take the rear wheel off to replace it. As a sensible cyclist, he always carries a spare.

Yet another photo of John fixing a flat tyre!

Fortunately it was fine and calm, so I sat on the wall, while John effected the repair. John B had carried on to catch the train, Alastair came back and gave John a hand. I watched a man and his dog playing on the beach.

A man and his “Staffie”

The young Staffordshire bull terrier was very keen and hyperactive, and seemed to have an incredibly strong grip on the stick they were playing with. He hung on while his master twirled him around hanging off the stick! After a short burst of activity, the man came back to his vehicle and when I commented on the strength of his dog’s jaws, he said he thought he’d better get his dog off the beach before “that fluffy little dog” came by, as it wouldn’t stand chance if his dog got a hold of it. Good call, I think.

Before long, John’s tyre was fixed, and we pedalled back to the car, and Alastair to the station. We had biked 27 km.

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In the evening, we went to a midwinter dinner at The Pines, in Houghton Bay. This is a yearly event, organised by the Ngaio Scottish Country Dance Club, and the dinner is followed – of course – by some dancing. It is great to catch up with dancing friends and have time to talk over drinks and dinner, as there is usually not much time for chat between dances at club nights.

It was a most enjoyable evening. A roaring open fire on a cold winter's night, an excellent buffet meal, scrumptious desserts, good company and dancing – what more could one want!

Tables ready for dinner at The Pines (photo by John)

Dancing after dinner (photo by John)

Mangaroa Valley

We’ve been wanting to repeat our ride in Whitemans Valley for a while, but somehow something always got in the way. On Wednesday, we finally did go in that direction, but instead of riding Whitemans Valley, we rode the Mangaroa Valley loop, a bit further north.

We killed two birds with one stone, as it were, as we had to take the battery of my e-bike up to Daryl’s Wellington Electric Bikes shop in Upper Hutt. It had developed a fault and wouldn’t charge up. Hopefully Daryl will be able to get us a replacement.

We decided to bike to the Mangaroa Valley, because – John thought – the hill up to the valley was not as steep as the one into Whiteman’s Valley, and he would be riding his regular bike, while he let me use his battery so that I could ride my electric bike. Isn’t he a gentleman?

As it turned out, the Mangaroa Valley Road was not easier to climb than the Wallaceville Road into Whitemans Valley, and John had to get off a couple of times to walk on the worst bits. Meanwhile, I zoomed forth on my e-bike. Yeehaa! But I did stop to wait for him when he had to walk, needing to make sure he was OK.

While waiting, I took this photo, looking towards (probably) Maymorn.

Nearly at the top – looking towards Maymorn (I think)

It was a crisp winter’s day, and it had been very cold the night before. I was glad to see that the horses and Shetland ponies we came across were wearing blankets.

Horses and ponies wore blankets against the cold ...

… but these Suffolk sheep had their own woolly protection

I like the pattern of the rusty corrugated iron sheets on the roof of this old woolshed

Whereas Whitemans Valley was mainly flat and the road straight, the terrain in the Mangaroa Valley was gently undulating and the road more sinuous. Very enjoyable biking.

Winding road ahead

Looking across the valley (photo by John)

A tumbledown shed, with more beautiful rusty iron cladding (photo by John)

Same shed, different angle. A serious infestation of old man’s beard, I think (photo by John)

Soon after these photos, the road started to wind towards the Whitemans Valley junction, and down Wallaceville Road, taking us back to Upper Hutt. It had been quite a short ride – only 16 km – but it was nice to be out in the sunshine, as the forecast was promising more horrible weather for the next week or so.

Back in Upper Hutt, we went to the Expressions Gallery to look at the exhibition of 50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic. A stunning exhibition, and well worth taking a drive to Upper Hutt for. Entry is free and the exhibition is on until 26 July.

Display for the National Geographic exhibition in the lobby of Expressions Gallery

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.