Pt3 - Day 4. Paekakariki to Porirua - 10/10/16.

Today was the day for our first trip along Kapiti's new Escarpment Track - we had been deliberately holding off walking it so as to include it as a logical part of our TA journey.  Belinda was teaching her usual Monday morning Qigong class so we couldn't start until lunchtime.  We drove down to Paekakariki and started walking just after 12 noon on a spectacular day.  The GPS data for the day's walk is here.  We ended up walking to Porirua Railway Station (to catch a train back to Paekak), about 24.5km - so not a bad warmup to test our bodies!  We carried our Z-Packs packs with a light load each.

At the start of the track proper on eastern side of railway. Lots of informative signs along the Escarpment Track.

A sign of things to come.

Once across to the eastern side of the rail line we were onto the actual Escarpment Track.  One feature of the track is the good signage along the way that lets you know about the local history as well as the geological basis of the escarpment along which the track runs.  The track is mostly fairly narrow and on steep terrain.  You pass through a couple of stands of mainly kohekohe but much of it is through scrubby vegetation - although lots of effort is going into helping re-establish trees along the way.  The climb up to a maximum elevation of just over 210m takes the first hour or so - this is a mixture of steady uphill paths and some fairly steep sets of steps (you can easily pick up the first set of steps on the GPS track after about 3.2km as we do our first zig-zag up a hill-face)!  Having said that, when we saw the "down" steps as we progressed along the track, we decided that, on balance, doing it SOBO would be preferable to NOBO, in our opinion!

Not long after we started - South Island in background on horizon.

Looking back north with the beach curving round to the point at Paraparaumu Beach. Classic Kapiti Island profile!

I hadn't known that there was a pa site above the beach near the north end of the walk - great to have the information signs.

More information signs further up the track - this time about the geology of the escarpment.

An easier part of the track and an opportunity for a short break. Hard for me to resist another shot looking north towards Kapiti Island.

I think for the first time, this photo does actually give some idea of just how steep it is off the side of the track!!

Came upon this rock attached to a post - initially thought it may have been an attempt at art .......!

....... but, on closer inspection, it was a weight to help keep the fencepost down!!

Saw quite a few tui on the walk, which is encouraging.

Having reached the "top" it is still quite a long haul along the escarpment to Pukerua Bay, with a few ups and downs along the way - as well as a couple of beautifully constructed swingbridges across two gorges.  As noted earlier, some of the down steps actually made us glad we were heading south, not north.

Another spot to break for a refuel!

Me down in the distance heading for the first of the swingbridges. Easier going down those steps I think!

And on to the first bridge.

Looking up the gully from the bridge. Even though its a small catchment, water can flow down there at a great rate when it rains heavily!

Belinda had to take a picture of the variegated thistles. They grow large and spread very quickly which would make for unpleasant walking! Perhaps we can volunteer to help with thistle control next year.

Another shot of local flora!! A manuka canopy showing the effects of the prevailing NW wind!

We entered Pukerua Bay alongside the railway line and then it was through the streets (Belinda's family lived here for a few years when she was a kid, so a trip down memory lane!), over SH1 footbridge and up to the dairy for a well-earned ice-cream, drink and jetplanes (sugar fix!).  From here the next phase is the Ara Harakeke trail, which  takes us a further 9km to the Paremata Railway Station. The final stretch is another 6km or so through to the Porirua Railway Station.  From Pukerua Bay to Porirua is mainly on sealed paths and footpaths and relatively flat after the initial downhill from Pukerua Bay.  We did, however, get our best ever look at Taupo Swamp (usually driving past at 100km/hr!!).

Just across the road from the Pukerua Bay dairy, the start of Ara Harakeke (the flax road/walkway).

Pukerua Bay to Plimmerton is on this 6km asphalt walk/cycle path alongside SH1. Being TAers we like to walk on the grass shoulder as much as possible, easier on the feet!! We noticed that bikes with no warning bells can be a hazard!

The Taupo Swamp.

Always good to read up about these sites!

Mana marina.

Belinda spotted a bit of artistic balcony edging!

Diving off the Paremata road bridge (SH1). These kids usually use the sign that says "no diving" to help launch themselves off!!

Family and friends will recognise the old Bright Building Supplies site. Still a "Bright" roof and Mitre10 blue on one wall!!

Having crossed the Paremata road bridge and viewed the old Bright Building Supplies site from the footbridge over the highway, it was down past Aotea Lagoon and the Police College, up through Gear Homestead and Adrenalin Forest high ropes course and then down the hill, over the SH1 off ramp bridge into Porirua and finally along a path beside Porirua Stream to the rail station.  The next train arrived just as we got to the platform - I had insufficient cash for tickets but luckily had a Paraparaumu-Wellington 10-trip ticket that I could use rather than get tossed off the train for non-payment!!  With the weight off our feet it was a relaxing half hour train ride back to Paekakariki to pick up the car - finally arriving hone about 7 p.m.  A fantastic day for a "gentle" walk all in all :-)

Into the grounds of Gear Homestead and B spotted a pohutukawa flowering. Its only October - whats a "NZ Xmas tree" doing out this early!!

Grounds of Gear Homestead.

Part of the high ropes course at Adrenalin Forest - too high for my vertigo!!

Crossing over SH1 into Porirua - the hill in the background is what we will be heading up on our next day's walk!!