Makara

An absolutely stunning weekend in Wellington allowed us to take a hike around Makara.

Makara to me epitomises all things great about New Zealand. A 20min drive from the capital city and you find yourself at a beach with a sprinkling of houses and a shop selling cold drinks, and a few like-minded individuals. You can wander around the coast walk, climb a (pretty flamin’ steep) hill and look out at the world. If you lie in the grass and soak up the sun you can almost believe you are all alone in the world – save for a few errant sheepies.

On this particular weekend the sea out to the South Island was astonishingly flat, and the colour of the water was spectacular. About a hour up, down the other side, and around the coast, the bloke hopped in the water and was able to grab large paua just a few metres from me on the rocks.

(oh, and I’ve figured how to bring him down to my fitness level – make him carry 20+ kilos of wet dive gear up the hill and we may be about the same fitness level.)

I loved these kids we spied. They had grabbed a few bits of log for a canoe and a branch for an oar and were making the most of life. Perfect!