From the Skyline to Karori Cemetery.

Looking down on Wellington from the Skyline Track

The day dawned still and clear. I am down to do a half iron-man in December so set off to do some stamina work. I had done a duathlon in the weekend and the legs felt heavy still, so I planned my run to be long but leisurely with lots of stops and walking if I felt like it.

The wind-blasted gorse clad hill top above my suburb

Getting up on the hills above Wellington is always exhilarating and worth the slog up through the bush to get to the Skyline Track. Though calm in the valley  it was certainly not calm upon the tops. The winds were chill and whistling, reminding me that winter was not over yet. In fact it is never over in Wellington. The seasons never separate out completely and you can often have four seasons in one day. With that in mind I had a small backpack with a polyprop or thermal inside.
I looked down on the city and thought how fragile it is and how earthquakes and storms had beset it in the last couple of months. When doing the running course of the duathlon on the South coast we had had to zigzag at times as the footpath between Scorching Bay and Seatoun had been undermined and even washed away in places. It was hard to believe as that morning in particular was as warm and benign as a summer's day causing people who had been expecting winter to strip off as they ran. The cycling course looped past the Chocolate Fish Cafe three times where more sensible people were spending their Sunday morning lounging on bean bags in the morning winter sun while watching their kids play about on the ride-on toys provided. I found it difficult to keep my head down and stick to the business in hand as I cycled.  I was easily distracted by the scenes I was passing and found my my mind drifting off and my speed slowing as a consequence.

Along the Skyline Tack I stopped to observe people working on the pylons carrying electricity from the South Island. There is a cable on the sea floor bringing electricity from hydro power stations in the south to the north. There were three men high up on a pylon and I thought what a chilly wind-blasted time they must be having so high up.

The three orange blobs are men working on the pylons in high winds.

Since the wind was blasting from the north, I ran south and dropped down to the track just above Wilton Otari Bush which was more sheltered. I enjoy the changes of terrain from rugged farm land to regenerating native forest to a pine plantation. Once under the pines all sound becomes muted and the ground becomes soft and springy due to layers of dry pine needles which is very pleasant after being buffeted by winds higher up.

Clearing up from the storm continues

Karori Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest in Wellington

Several areas are now fenced off after the storm

I popped out at Karori Cemetery to find the storm had wreaked havoc amongst the trees sheltering the graves. Tape was up to prevent people accessing more dangerous areas and I could hear the whine of chain saws and mulchers as the clean up continued.  I ran along the main path then took a side track into Otari Wilton and followed the path along the Kaiwharawhara. Volunteer groups have planted twenty five thousand trees along its banks and catchment and the environs is starting to look good.

The Kaiwharwhara Catchment surrounding Wellington.

As I headed home the clouds rolled in hiding the range I had recently been traversing. The weather gave me the spur to get up the last hill before the rains came down.