Last Sunday I again tried to reach the top of Te Kopahou Hill – and I again failed. It was an enjoyable failure – a nice day’s walk, I got a little bit further than last time, and think I now know the best route. At the time, of course, I didn’t think that and wanted to scream at the hill path I was attempting.
But hey I still got some nice photos. Continue reading
Sunday was the last day of my #peakbragging and I am happy and sad to report that I both succeeded and failed.
I succeeded in that I achieved the intangible goal of getting out and exploring more of Wellington while the weather was good. I went on a couple of walks I’d always wanted to do and saw my hometown from more angles than I imagined possible.
I failed in the tangible goal in that I didn’t set foot on the top of every peak. Wright’s Hill was planned for Saturday, but I was distracted by Scrabble and beer and never made it. I’m okay with that, I was up there a couple of weeks before Christmas. And Te Kopahou…well that’s a story all in itself. Continue reading
I’ll be completely honest: I did not enjoy the Makara Peak walk. It was hot and muggy. I wore the wrong shoes (sneakers instead of my boots). The track is a shared mountain biking and walking track. I’ve nothing against mountain bikers. It just means you have to always be listening for the slither of tires behind you and be ready to hop off the path to let them pass. Continue reading
Day 5 was a bit too hot for big peak, so I headed up Mt Vic (196m – which I live part way up) as the sun was setting. Continue reading
I awoke on Day 4 to high cloud – perfect for tackling the Skyline Walk and its three peaks.
I’ve wanted to do the Skyline Walk for ages, but was worried that I didn’t have the required fitness. While it’s only 11km long, the Wellington City Council website labels it strenuous. Additionally, since I was using public transport for access, I’d have to add on an extra kilometre on either end. But I figured it was perfect weather (high cloud blocking out sun, but not views, with light winds), I could take it at my own pace, and there were always plenty of places to leave the trail and head home.
I was still a bit nervous. Continue reading
Wellington is a city of hills. Many, many hills. These hills and the wind are the defining features of our capital city and, while other people may complain about them, I’m quite fond of both. The hills are a way of locating yourself, both in the city itself and the wider region. For me, this is almost more than physical, a way of knowing I’m home. The hills are also immensely pretty.
To explore these hills a bit more (and to make sure I got out of the house and appreciated the ridiculous summery weather we’re having), I challenged myself to conquer all twelve peaks listed on the Wellington City Council’s peak bragging website before I went back to work on January 8. Continue reading
After nine months of saying I will do so, I finally went to Zealandia, a local bird sanctuary. The sanctuary covers 225 hectares over a couple of valleys with a man-made reservoir. The whole sanctuary is free of predators like rats, stoats, cats and dogs, all of which pose a serious threat to New Zealand’s native wildlife. It’s about ten minutes from downtown Wellington. That’s right – the pictures below are that close to New Zealand’s capital city. Continue reading
