Zealandia in Spring time.

The koru -  harbinger of spring and new life

It is a lovely time to be in Zealandia at present. The valley is full of promise as the days get warmer and the birds get amorous. Fresh fronds are unfurling from the tree ferns or ponga. Their koru look so distinctive. In Maori lore they represent life force and are used in art and in ta moko or tattooing.
The silver ferns were looking fresh and fecund as well. Their silver fronds are on display everywhere at the moment as we compete for the Americas Cup in San Fransisco in huge great catamarans that rip along on the water at eighty kilometres an hour. At least they were. We almost had a hand on the cup a couple of days ago when we went over the time limit and that race was canned. We have to win just one more race and it is getting to people's nerves. It was good to be in the bush away from the hype for a while but the silver ferns kept reminding me about what I have inadvertently got caught up in. They seemed to be whispering at me 'just one more race to win, just one more!'

Our National symbol the silver fern or ponga.

The karuhiruhi or pied shags with nests near the pontoon have three eggs each. They are unconcerned they are so close to visitors and are absorbed in their parenting.

Karuhiruhi sitting on their three eggs

Tuatara are becoming more visible as the days warm up. One female tuatara is the most hardy. She has been out during the winter on mild days and is now outside her burrow pretty much daily.

As it warms more and more tuatara will emerge from their burrows.

Robin behaviour has changed. A couple of these toutouwai are now refusing to cache unless they are given two meal worms. They dig their claws in and hop about making their intentions clear. They just will not play the game for the visitors until they are provided with another meal worm. Then, having chased off other robins all winter, they are now taking their booty to their potential mates and presenting it to them instead of scoffing and hiding the lot as in the past. The females seem to be enjoying their enhanced status and accept the males' offerings as their right.

Mallard ducks and ducklings are everywhere. I had a nervous moment when doing the takahe talks yesterday. T2 and Puffin were at their hoppers enjoying the pellets I had just added when two tiny ducklings came past. There were no parents in sight. Both takahe stopped feeding and eyed them. My heart stopped and I held my breath. I was surrounded by visitors including little children oohing and aahing at the cute little ducklings and the big beautiful takahe. Takahe have been known to add meat to their diet around the breeding season if the opportunity presents itself. This was an opportunity presenting itself. The takahe were very alert to the babies and watched them intently. Then thank goodness they turned back to the hoppers and started eating again. I breathed a huge sigh of relief that we were not witness to murder and mayhem. Whew!

Mallard duck families are everywhere

Our kaka are well under way with egg laying. I checked my four nest boxes to find two out of four have nests inside. One has five eggs and one has three. I sit and wait till the mother comes off the eggs then go in for a quick check to make sure all is as it should be. Four or five eggs are the usual number but some have six. On hatching not all will survive to fledge. My two mothers are experienced and seem to know the routine. When they come out they sometimes sit nearby and watch what I do. Their partners are often about too and will regurgitate food for for them at this time.

A mum checking who is about before emerging

Its safe to come on out

Mrs Kaka outside her nest box

She hears her partner call from above

A male waiting for his partner to come off the nest so he can feed her.

   

One, two, four and then five eggs

                                           

As I returned along the Round the Lake track I stopped to watch a kaka bark stripping. It was amazing to see that destructive beak at work. They tear off bark for insects and cut across it to release sap. Native trees cope fine, but some exotics are not faring so well especially those in the nearby Botanic Gardens and neighbour's back yards.

Kaka damage

Back by the lake the ducklings were tucked up for an afternoon snooze with Mum. Mallards seem to be poor parents and unlike robins can't count too well. They tend to lose ducklings as a matter of course. As they have large families it is definitely a matter of survival of the fittest and little stray ducklings quickly become part of the food chain.

Unfurling tree fern fronds seemed to be everywhere as I made my way out of the valley signifying the promise of summer to come.

A week of contrasts.

A typical week of Wellington spring weather! We have had wind, then wet, then cold, then yesterday unveiled sparkling blue skies and more than a hint of summer warmth.
I had a long run to do and chose to go around the harbour and continue to almost the airport. Wellingtonians were out in force on the water front enjoying the sun. A busker was playing a piano, children were scooting about on  variety of bikes, and adults were walking, cycling and roller-blading. The harbour looked magnificent and I eyed the dragon boat race course and thought how good it would be to be out there on a day like this. Rowing sculls were out on the water looking decorative. A novice couple were out in a hired kayak and looked very intense about as they tried to coordinate their paddling.
I have been watching the Americas Cup on television and thought how fantastic the racing would look here as our harbour is a natural bowl with vantage points everywhere. Yesterday I almost heart-attacked when I saw the NZ Emirates' amazing flying catamaran have trouble tacking and go up on an angle of forty five degrees. So close to disaster! It was heart stopping. How they brought it back and got it on an even keel again I don't know. Alas we are too small to hold such a competition here and Auckland is the only place really able to hold such a competition. But we have to win in San Francisco first.
One bad tack almost sinks NZ's America's Cup Challenge

Plenty of cyclists were on the road too. A gentleman went by exposing a little more than he realised. His lycra shorts had perished over the winter months and his rear was visible through the thinned material as he cycled happily past unaware he was over exposed.

I turned at Evans and headed along Cobham Drive towards the airport. I stopped every so often to photograph the wind sculptures displayed along the way. They were all moving today, but only

gently.

Its not often this wind sculpture is vertical!

The block sculpture spins in the wind.

Wind sculpture number three.

This sculpture's rings are supposed to light up progressively the harder the wind blows, but must offend someone as it is often vandalised

The last sculpture is situated in the middle of a roundabout. The metal reeds bend and tinkle in the breeze.

I looked up to the hill in front of me. A sign has been placed there to welcome people arriving by plane. Originally it was supposed to read  'Wellywood' due to the fact Peter Jackson was producing the Lord of the Rings and Avatar movies here. There was an uproar by the good folk of Wellington who thought that was too kitsch by far. As a result a competition was held and a sign 'Wellington Blown Away' was chosen. As flying into Wellington can be a hair raising experience due to the wind, I don't know if people want to be reminded of the fact as they arrive.

The 'Blown Away' sign reminding people what to expect when flying into Wellington.

                   
As I returned I saw a couple of ladies having a dip at Haitaitai Beach. I wondered if they were a part of the OBEs - the 'over bloody eighties' club who swim pretty much all year round. It made me think I must harden up and test my new wetsuit in the water soon.

A couple of ladies enjoying a refreshing dip at Haitaitai Beach

It was even more crowded along Oriental Parade with people enjoying the warm sun. One young gentleman asked if I would go for a swim with him.
'Not without my wetsuit,' was my reply. I wondered if he was operating on some sort of dare which he won if he convinced some passer-by to get in the water with him. I must admit it looked clear and inviting and I was hot from my run, but from experience I know how cold that water is and am not about to cast myself in yet and certainly not without my wetsuit. The OBEs had my admiration but I was not about to emulate them.

Tricky Access

A lovely place to run and cycle as long as the Northerly is not blowing

On one of my recent runs along Oriental Parade and around Point Jerningham towards Evans Bay I had my attention drawn to a blue thing half way up a hill on the opposite side of the road. On close inspection I realised it was a trampoline. When Wellington winds get up trampolines tend to become airborne if not tied down and this one had ended up in an awkward place. I was amazed it had not fallen further and ended up on the road.

A wayward trampoline

I also marvelled at the houses attached to the hill and the fact they also have not tumbled onto the road. Access to some of these houses is truly inventive. There are windy paths, steep stairways and wondrous little cable cars. My running was constantly interrupted as I noticed more and more different and difficult accesses. I supposed the great views of the harbour and the close proximity to the city makes it worthwhile to perch in such eyries.

Access ways such as this must keep the residents fit.

Houses perched above one another

The view from up there must be spectacular

Access by cable car looks a little daunting

I couldn't see exactly where this cable car ended

A cable car leading up to a rather imposing house

A close up of the more modern cable car heading up to an imposing house

Houses in the main tend to be wooden in Wellington as they cope better with the regular earthquakes the city endures.

There are a few roads winding up and over the Mt Victoria Hill

Oyster catchers and a shag enjoying the spring sunshine

I turned my attention back to running and the harbour side of the road. Balaena Bay is of my favourite swimming spots. The sea is always calm as it is tucked away from the prevailing northerlies. I plan to try out my new tri wetsuit here as soon as the weather is favourable. It is a lovely warm sheltered spot in winter and summer.

Houses nestled in the bush above Balaena Bay

People fishing off Balaena Bay.

Balaena Bay is a lovely sheltered place to swim though rather cold

I turned around and headed back towards home. It had been a stop/start run but most enjoyable.
As I turned the corner at Point Jerningham I immediately noticed the difference in housing. Here it is far more up market. There are hotels and apartment buildings clustered around Oriental Bay and its created golden sands beach. In the early days visiting ships dumped their sand ballast here and created a beach. Norfolk pines were planted as they were all over New Zealand beach spots as they were de regeur in the early 1900s. A band rotunda was built and Oriental Parade became the place to promenade. In latter years the sand disappeared and left rocks and the Rotunda was turned into a restaurant.
In 2004 Wellington Council  decided to bring the beach back and  brought a large amount of heavy golden sand from Nelson. They manufactured a very nice spot which has worked well. To a degree it looks odd as Wellington is traditionally a black sand area. It has become the place where the young and hip hang out and there are good cafes opposite. The less hip but more canny people like me use this beach when the weather is good as its rafts and fountain make a safe place for ocean swimming, but for a relaxing, sheltered, quiet place Balaena Bay wins every time.

Back around Point Jerningham Oriental Parade is more built up. The golden sand beach was brought in from the top of the South Island making it a popular place for the young and trendy.

The Hutt Valley River Trail

The braided Hutt River

The Hutt Valley River Trail is one of the few flat walks or bike rides that Wellington offers. I went with my brother on a cool day with fresh Southerlies. We started at the Petone Foreshore where there is good parking. Also we could ride along the beach front before heading up the valley. The Petone or Pito-one Beach is where the first settlers from the New Zealand Company disembarked from the Aurora on the 22nd January 1840. They were greeted by Te Puni and his people who welcomed them with calls of 'Ka pai Pakeha,' which basically means 'Good on you, white people.'
Relations did not remain so cordial however as more and more settlers flooded in though Te Puni was always supportive.

Some of the first Pakeha settlers landed here

The Petone Wharf is a fun fishing spot

A couple of good citizens of Petone cleaning up rubbish on the beach

Oyster catchers pottering on Petone Beach

The narrow path along the waterfront varies. At some places it wanders through flax and coastal native bushes planted by the local Forest and Bird Group. At other places it passes in front of boat clubs and the Settlers Museum.

Looking south to Matiu/Somes Island and the harbour entrance

The path is narrow but great for cycling

There are some interesting sculptures along the way.

A play park plus a place to stop for coffee

At the farthest end there are sports fields and vistas of the harbour and surrounding hills. Just past this we came across the Hutt River mouth. Here we could either cross the bridge and go up the eastern side, or dive down a path and go under the bridge and travel up the western side which is what we chose to do. This involved going along a little narrow raised walkway with no sides. I chose caution, put my foot down and scooted through, whereas my brother maintained a little speed and managed to cycle it without dropping into the mud flats below.

Looking back to Wellington City

We came up on the other side and joined the River Trail proper. The Hutt River is has flood banks either side and this is mainly where the path goes. The first part travels on top of the flood bank and through a golf course. My brother spied a rake lying in a bunker with its prongs up and good citizen that he is he hopped off and turned it prongs down. Shortly after a lady golfer approached me and accused us of rake stealing. I explained our actions and pointed out it would be hard to hide a stolen rake on a bike and we parted amicably.

The Hutt River looking benign. It caused the first settlers grief with its regular flooding.

We made good progress with the wind behind us and at times travelled close to the river and other times were in parks or among trees. At Manor Park though we came to an end. The golf course there had signs up preventing us passing through. An interesting sign was set up saying that if we wished the trail to continue we should contact The Hutt City Council. The trail actually did continue on the other side of the golf course but there was no safe way through as the nearby state highway is not safe for cyclists heading north.

The Hutt River heading south

We turned around and headed back to the nearest bridge and crossed over to the other side. By this stage hunger pangs were becoming savage and riding into the southerly was not as pleasant so we headed back on the eastern stop bank to Lower Hutt where we stopped for lunch. We talked to a couple of other cyclists who said up until recently you could continue through the golf course and one guy said he still did it at night when no one was about.

We crossed one of the road bridges and headed back on the other side.

The Hutt River is prone to flooding

I read later that there are plans afoot to open it up again so that you can travel right up the valley on one side and return on the other without having to resort to a road.

Pleasantly warmed and fed we headed out once more into the chill wind back to the bridge underpass, along the Petone foreshore to our lovely warm vehicle.