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.

We Have an Egg!

A kaka nest box in the bush

It was the day to do my kaka nest box checks again. A late winter southerly blast was making its presence felt but the rain had eased for which I was grateful.
As I made my way up the valley I could hear kaka (North Island parrot) calling. At times they filled the air with their calls and cries.
It was quite a climb up so I took my time, stopping often to look about. At one point I could see a kaka up in a tree. I got out my binoculars but could not see any bands.

At the first site I could see that the twig that had been placed across the nest box opening had been removed. After watching for five minutes I approached and opened the little door at the side to check inside. There were signs that kaka had been in having a look but that was all. I locked up, found a suitable twig to put across the opening and left.

Twig gone from the opening

As I waited and observed the next box I heard a soft wibbling in the tree next to the nest box. A kaka was pulling at the bark with its beak. I got the bands of one leg but the other leg was hidden. I made my way down t the old wooden nest box, opened the side door and peeped inside. There amongst the wood chips was a small delicate white egg, smaller than a hen's egg. I quickly took a photo and shifted away so that Mother kaka would not feel too disturbed. Kaka lay up to five eggs over a period of about a week so it will be exciting to visit next week to see how many future chicks we have. I will have to wait and observe to make sure I don't disturb Mum on the nest. If she comes out for a break I can then have a quick look to see how many eggs at present. My buddy will be checking in the weekend so I may already have an idea on what to expect.

We have an egg!

At my last site I could hear a kaka about but could not see it. I checked the nest box as the twig had gone but there was nothing inside. I shut it up and replaced the twig. As I went to leave I heard a noise and turned around. There was a kaka busily removing my freshly placed twig. It hauled it away from the nest entrance and tossed it into the bush. It then poked its head into the box giving me a good view of its rear end and one of its leg bands. It came out and eyed me, skraaked and flew away. I retraced my steps and replaced the twig.

Twig replaced but soon to be removed by curious parrot

I departed at this point and wondered how long my twig marker would last this time. I presume not very long. Hopefully my twig removing kaka was in the process of choosing a good home to make a nest in and it was not just idle vandalism of the sort kaka are renowned!

A lovely home for prospective parents

Here is a video link to some kaka doing what it takes to get eggs and babies. Kaka sex can go on for up to 15 minutes!

Kaka nooky

Cycling with the Tar Babies.

I had not been out with the Tar Babies for some time, but it was a beautiful day and I decided it was time I cycled with a group again. It is a different experience than cycling alone and is more testing. As I waited at the meeting place I hoped people of my skill level would also appear. My ability puts me in the slowest group and sometimes puts me last in the slowest group. I had not got an email so I was not sure where the ride was heading.
At first there were four of us but within minutes there was fifty or more gathered and ready to go. Ride etiquette plus the route was read out. One gentleman complained that on the weekend before he had got a puncture and no-one had stopped. It was raining and he had no tyre levers so had to ring up his partner to get him. He was not a happy man and I was surprised that he had come back. I hoped he had bought some tyre levers. We advised him to come with us as we would look out for him. In fact he would be hard to lose as he stood out somewhat in his pink lycra bike shorts with 'Wiggles' written on them.

The route included the Korokoros. I was glad I had not known this before as that route includes some steep climbs. We would end up in Maungaraki which means 'mountain in the sky'. They then said the last group would forgo the Korokoros and would instead would take the flat ride out to Wallaceville and back. I had a sigh of relief and relaxed a little.

We started by winding down a steep grade to State Highway Two. I am a bit of a Nana down hills but I went a little harder than usual due to pressure of the group and was only passed by most of the group instead of all of them. An orange light at the bottom greeted me, and good cyclist that I am, I stopped, hoping the group in front would wait. They were on their best behaviour probably because of the Wiggles pants man and actually did wait.

We rode single file out towards the  Hutt. This surprised me as this was not the way straight to Wallaceville. It dawned upon me that decisions and been made and things had changed. We were going to do the Korokoros. We took the over-bridge and started the long climb up to Maungaraki. Once at the top, I discovered we weren't at the top at all. We undulated while getting higher and higher. We regrouped at a crossing and I was pretty pleased with myself as I had kept up and felt good. After one last short steep and nasty little hill we cruised down once more and were quickly beside the motorway. Here about four riders felt they had had enough and left to return to the city. I continued out with the rest of them for the long flat ride to Wallaceville knowing that once we returned we would have the wind behind us and all would be sweet. The ride was very pleasant and civilised with only a couple of drivers tooting  and a couple of bogans yelling obscenities out the window at us for no particular reason as they were on the other side of the road. Dodging glass on the road was the usual hazard most needed to be considered. I had my suspicions the beer bottles had been deliberately thrown along the roadside by the afore mentioned bogans on previous nights.
Those at the head of the ride then decided we would go to the top of Whitemans Hill before retracing our steps. The faster groups were doing the Whitemans Valley loop to add the kilometres but not us thank goodness as I was beginning to feel the distance. It was a haul up the hill and I was last due to others having peeled off earlier. It was great to see Some Ngati Poneke women training up and down the hill, working towards the  Iron Maori Duathlon challenge that is happening in this area next month They looked good and strong in their uniforms.
At the top of the hill we took a break. I ate my banana and had a swig of my drink while watching the group of chickens that seem to live in this area.

On the return I had to work on not dropping off the group. With the wind behind them they sped up a little and I struggled to hang on. As we rode the State Highway Two on the way back it was important to stay together to be more visible and there are a couple of squeeze points where there is not much room for cyclists. For most of it however there was a wide shoulder and with the help of the wind it was a fun ride. I then heard a call as someone had a puncture It was the Wiggles pants man so we were all sure to stop and act concerned. Lets hope he had bought some tyre levers or words might have been spoken. As he was a Brit and maybe new to NZ cycling I hope he knew to check his tyres for glass chips after every ride due to the afore mentioned bogans tossing their empties onto the road. Drinking and driving is still alive and well in New Zealand by the number of smashed beer bottles we had to avoid.

The stop refreshed me but not for long. I was flagging. A good bloke came in front of me to tow me along but I was getting to the point where I no longer wished to be pushed. There was a point on the road where most went left off the main road as it was safer for bigger groups. I signed I would continue along the road as I knew it well from cycling to and from work. It was also a short cut which put me ahead of the group and made me feel better. I dropped off the pace and enjoyed my last ten kilometres, nursing myself up the Ngaio Gorge and home. I had completed 78 ks, 70 at a reasonable pace.
I checked my tyres and flicked out three pieces of glass, grateful they had not penetrated deeper.
I looked forward to a warm bath and an afternoon snooze to recover from my efforts, and  plan to cruise again with the Tarbabies in the not too distant future.

Kaka Nest Monitoring

Kaka allopreening.                              Photo by Judi Lapsley Miller

The kaka at Zealandia are getting frisky. We have been allocated our nest boxes to monitor. Each group of nest boxes gets checked twice a week by a couple of people who share the responsibility. I am the designated midweek monitor, though we did our first check together to acquaint ourselves once more with the routine. The nest boxes are attached to trees off track so we were given maps to track them down. The first couple of trips to find them can take a little more time as we get our bearings.
The first kaka eggs have been laid, but not on our patch so far. But we do have kaka checking out our boxes so here's hoping.
I went in again this week for my first solo run. As I was also taking the takahe talks later in the day I went in early to get their food weighed out so that I would not have to return to the Ops shed.
As I walked up I stopped to see how the karuhiruhi were doing on their very very visible nest by the pontoon. No eggs yet as far as I could see but the happy couple of pied shags were sitting there dozing in the warm spring sun. They are very elegant close up with their black and white colouring and bright blue eyes with a yellow patch in front. To me it is not the best place to build a nest as it is close to the water and very exposed to northerlies. Tucked around on the sheltered side though I spied a new nest being built. This seemed to be a solo parent's effort as I have not seen a partner. The nest seems a bit of a scruffy stick and twig affair so far but maybe time and a mate will improve it.

No eggs yet for the karuhiruhi                                                           photo from Alfie Kakas blog

        Note their beautiful eye colouring .                                                                  photo from Alfie Kakas blog

Pied shag nesting behaviour.                       Photo by Alfred Kaka

I tucked the takahe food away in a cache and headed up to the kaka which are very visible and noisy at present in the Valley.
At the first stop not much was doing. The twig that we had placed across the nest entrance had gone and there was signs that kaka had been inside as there was new material added to the wood chips we had provided and some of the wood chips had been tossed up on a ledge. But of the kaka there was no sign.

At the next stop I heard calling high up in the trees. I grabbed my binoculars to see if I could read the bands but the two birds were directly above me and not showing their legs. They were pulling at pine cones together. They flew down a little lower and were indulging in a little allopreening when a third swooped down to join them. This caused them all to fly off with much screeching. It was frustrating not to sight any bands. Again the nest showed signs of kaka interest but their were no eggs.

I was busy at the third nest cutting a suitable twig to replace the missing one across the nest entrance when I glimpsed a movement above me and there was a kaka climbing down the tree to investigate what I was up to. I put the secateurs on the top of the nest box and the kaka jumped onto the roof to get a closer look at the secateurs and at me. I stood quietly while it eyeballed me and looked hopeful that I might produce something more interesting and maybe edible. I mentally tried to record the leg bands that were right in front of me. Read the bird's left leg first from top down, and then the right is the correct method. Once it had had a good look at me it flew away showing me its beautiful red colouring under the wings. I rushed to write down the bands but in my excitement got confused about which leg had what colour where. Keeping clam and writing them down correctly is a skill I will have to practise. But it was a thrill to see a wild bird so close and on its own terms. Its colouring was just gorgeous - a mixture of subtle greens and browns which change in different light.

Kaka colouring tends to change with light from olive to russet brown

The last nest had the twig removed showing kaka had been about but all was quiet as I watched so I headed down to find a quiet spot to have lunch before my takahe talks.

I have great respect for that beak!

The takahe were on cue awaiting my arrival. The visitors had a laugh as they chased me to the feeding hoppers and then got stuck in to the pellets. There is always the chance my finger might be mistaken for a pellet and the knowledge those big beaks can draw blood keeps me alert. They were looking in fine fettle, their plumage looking iridescent in the sun. They are a great draw-card for visitors who just love their lack of fear of people as they wander round under their feet. I answered the many questions then sat and relaxed for a while in the spring sunshine before making my way out of the valley once more.

Kaka like to strip bark in search of insects and sap