View from Mt Victoria of Wellington

February 22

Today we started by trying to find Ruakokoputuna Cave.  This is not a commercial operation, so information is a little scant.  It’s located on private property and instructions were to call the landowners for permission to explore the cave.  I called when we arrived in Martinborough and was told it was $10 per car – first time I heard there was a fee, but alright.

Sheep on the way to Ruakokoputuna Cave

Info I found said it was on Dry River Road and that there were signs. We drove back and forth several times in the area I was sure they would be.   There isn’t much in that area but large paddocks and a couple of random homes. We even pulled into a driveway and noticed a sign stating, “No glow worm caves on this property.” So I knew we were close, but where were they?

Ruakokoputuna Cave entrance (slightly left of center)

Finally we saw a couple walking their dogs and asked them. They said the caves had been overrun and folks were leaving rubbish and not closing gates and such and the owners were getting fed up. But they said the owner’s house was back a bit and to drive up and ask them for directions.

Milky Way of glow worms in cave

No one was at home when we first got there and we were about to give up on the whole idea. Then a pickup truck headed into the driveway. A woman came out and apparently was the same person I spoke to the night before. She was a bit reserved and I felt as though she was sizing us up. I had the $10 in a baggie, ready to give her.  I think that softened her some.

Looking out of the exit of Ruakokoputuna Cave

Putangirua Pinnacles

Cape Palliser lighthouse

The drive was closeby, through a working farm, and often there were sheep on the gravel road to the cave. We donned our watershoes and headlamps (torches) and wandered through the cave. Once in awhile, we turned off the lights and waited a bit for our eyes to adjust. Glow worms twinkled above like the Milky Way. Fred brought his tripod and good lens to take pictures. When you emerge, it was in a crevice that was very green with moss and high sides all around.

Once back on the main road, we went to Murdoch James Winery. At first the only ones there, but then joined by two other couples, we tasted wine and enjoyed the view they had from the top of the knoll.
Our next stop was quite a bit down the road. Putangirua Pinnacles is well marked and there were lots of cars in the carpark.  We had time enough to do both walks.  The first to a lookout high on a hill.  The other was up the valley floor with the Pinnacles on both sides of us.  I preferred the valley walk because the rock formations were constantly changing.

We continued to the lighthouse at Cape Palliser. About 20 minutes before getting to the lighthouse, you pass through the wee town of Ngawi. There was all sorts of activity in the town with many small boats on trailers, lines of people, food stalls, and portapotties. A more permanent fixture are the colorful bulldozers on the beach with larger boats on trailers.

North Island’s south shore coastal view

Once at the lighthouse carpark, there are 250 stairs to climb. They looked very daunting, but we did it and were rewarded with incredible views.

Sea Lion near Cape Palliser

On our return, we took more notice of the awesome black-sand beaches. I realized that there was some movement in one of the coves. We pulled over and took a closer look. It was a very active seal colony. We kept a safe distance away and observed. Some of the seals scrutinized us, but most of them paid no attention.

February 23

This morning we headed back to Wellington.  Our route took us along the waterfront at Oriental Bay.  It reminded me of San Francisco.  Then we headed up a very zig-zaggy route to the top of Mount Victoria.  Even though it was overcast, we had awesome 360-degree views.   We went down the Mount on the other side, which was much easier driving and reminded me of Golden Gate Park.

Houses on the hills of Wellington

Once we found our motel and parked our car, we walked to Lambton Quay.  This is a vibrant shopping area with every kind of retail shop you could imagine. Somehow we missed the alley to the Cable Car. I thought it would be more obvious. But we found it and rode to the top. There were about 3 stops along the way where people got off. I wasn’t expecting that. I thought it was more of a tourist thing than a means of transportation for commuters.

Flowers in Wellington Botanica Gardens

The end of the line is at the top of the Botanical Gardens. There were a couple of guides handing out maps of the gardens. We decided to stick to the “Downhill Path” that was well marked with tiled emblems in the walkway. There were a couple of geocaches on the way.  It started raining and I really wasn’t dressed for it. Fortunately, our next cache was near a park bench, located in the Camellia Garden. It was under a dense tree, which gave us some protection from the rain and we ate our lunch there.

The rain let up to a heavy drizzle and we decided to make our way back to Lampton Quay which had covered sidewalks.  A sidestreet led to Butler’s Chocolates, so we stopped to check it out.

Butler’s Chocolates

Once back at the motel, we were ready to get out of our wet clothes and Fred really was in need of a shave.  He hadn’t shaved for 2 weeks!  We asked the front desk where the nearest barber was and he directed us to Carve (!!!), off of Cuba Street.  While Fred was getting his beard tamed, I wondered about Cuba Street to check out places for dinner.  Then the two of us checked out the bucket fountain and found a bakery for breakfast goodies.

We had dinner at Scopa’s, which was very good.  We had a table right at the corner window and the couple at the next table were very friendly locals.

Feed Me!

The Adventure Continues>>>