Kapiti Island

I am writing this while sitting out on the patio in glorious sunshine. The joys of a laptop & wireless technology... There's not even any wind (which makes a very nice change...). The weather the last few days has been exceptional, it really does feel like summer has arrived.

On Friday I had an adventure with Brendon & Keryn. I started by catching a very early train from Wellington Station to Waterloo (the Lower Hutt one, as opposed to the London one!). Brendon & Keryn picked me up from the station & we drove to Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast. We then got a ferry over to Kapiti Island. Kapiti Island is a nature reserve where they have, over time, eradicated all predators, making it a haven for birds, including several rare & endangered species. We were visiting Rangatira where the Department of Conservation only issues 50 permits each day. Before we boarded the boat we had to do a physical check for rodents in our bags. On arrival we had a short talk from a DOC ranger about the history of the island, & the types of birds we were likely to come across. We then set off for Tuteremoana, the island's high point at 521m. We decided to go up the Trig track, which is a steeper, more direct route to the summit, & come down via the Wilkinson track which is a bit gentler on the knees!It was a gloriously clear & sunny day, & from the top we got some stunning views. You can just make out the South Island in the distance in the above photos. At the top there were a couple of Wekas who had obviously learnt from experience that if they hung around the picnic tables they might get the odd crumb that was inadvertantly dropped!The whole time on the island you were aware of the birds in the form of constant birdsong, even if you couldn't always see them! Weka were the most common birds we saw, followed by the Tui. On both the Trig & Wilkinson tracks there was a feeding station set up with sugar water for the sake of the Stitchbird (Hihi) & the Bellbird. They needed the extra helping hand because in the wild the much bigger Tui dominated the natural nectar sources. The feeding stations were set up so that the entrances into them to access the sugar water were too small for the Tui. There were benches to sit & view the feeding stations, & the birds were a bit shy to feed when we first arrived, but after a spell of sitting quietly they would become brave enough . The star on the way down was a very photogenic Kaka who posed obligingly for us for quite a while. As well as the birds mentioned above, I also saw North Island Robin, Red-Crowned Parakeet and Wood Pigeon. Brendon also saw a Sadleback & a Whitehead. Once we got back down to the shore there were also numerous gulls & shags. All in all it was a fantastic day out. Below is the view looking back towards the Kapiti Coast.

We arrived back at the shore in good time for the ferry to take us back to the Mainland. Once there, Brendon & Keryn dropped me off at Paraparaumu train station so I could get a train back to Wellington. They were continuing down the coast for a night of camping.

Once back in Welly I caught the bus home to find dad had arrived. He had a meeting in Wellington that afternoon, so was staying the night with us before flying back to Hamilton Saturday afternoon. We walked down to the local Mediterranean Food Warehouse in Newtown for some superb pizza & gelati, washed down with a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate going unconditional on our new house. It was a very pleasant evening, & lovely being able to catch up with dad. He & mum are excited about the house purchase, as it means that come January they can clear their house of all the stuff I have stored there for nearly 8 years! It is quite a bit of stuff!!!

On Saturday we went for a drive. Will showed us his current office at the university (his permanent one is in the process of being refurbished) and then we went for a drive past our new house. We couldn't go in, but at least it gave dad an idea of where it was, & the surrounding area. We then had a very nice brunch at the Wadestown Kitchen Cafe, before dropping him off at the airport for his flight home.

It was a stunning day & after dropping dad off we continued on to the Miramar Peninsula & went for a stroll on a couple of the beaches. We were after a decent ice-cream shop, but didn't have much luck. We then tried Lyall Bay where we found what must be close to the biggest & best value ice-creams in wellington! We ate them while strolling the beach & watching the surf-lifesavers getting put through their paces in a training session (& being glad that it wasn't us!).

At Lyall Bay we were also entertained by a small dog who delighted in chasing a ridiculously big stick (more like a log) that his owner would throw into the water for him.

Today is equally gorgeous, & I have spent most of it sitting in the sunshine catching up with the weekend papers. Long may the glorious weather continue...