Wairarapa, Day 2

On to day 2 of the first weekend Gretchen and I had together here in New Zealand. If you’re just tuning in, the weekend was north of Wellington in the Wairarapa Valley. After doing winery tours and tasting the day before, we were game to drive the countryside and check out a place called Castlepoint on the east coast. It was supposed to be spectacular, so we were determined to see it.

There are some funny birds here called a Pukeko (poo-KAY-koh). It’s a pretty bird, blue with a red beak and long legs. A couple were walking around behind our villa and I got a couple pictures. Apparently they are not too smart, especially when on the road.

A few more pictures of our villa and the grounds around it. You’ll notice the “Rules and Regulations” that were in our room. “Don’t be scared of the gunfire – you are not in a war zone – they are just trying to scare away the birds. Low flying helicopters at dawn are not here to pick up the dead and wounded, they are here to lift the cold frosty air. If the tractor disturbs you, just yell at the driver. He might go away.” I thought it was funny.

While driving to Castlepoint, there was some wonderful scenery.

We came across a farmer who had a couple cows out. Needless to say, the pace of life is fairly slow in rural New Zealand.

There was a nice spot to pull over and take some pictures of a beautiful valley. It was, of course, full of sheep. I put together a panorama of this valley.

We finally got to Castlepoint and first took a walk on the beach. The rock formations here are amazing in that you can see just how much the ancient layers have heaved and deflected.

Castlepoint has a couple of interesting peaks that overlook the shore and bay. One is topped by a beautiful lighthouse and surrounded by fascinating rock formations that are a combination of compressed seashells, volcanic rock, and water erosion. There are an awful lot of pictures from here, but I think you’ll see why.

I also took a panorama from the lighthouse point and it’s huge, so give it some time if you decide to view the big file. You will not be able to see the whole thing on the screen without scrolling the window.

We took a break from lunch and got a visit from a local seagull. Gretchen broke down and threw a chip to him and that was all the opening he needed. All his friends came by for their share. However, he wasn’t happy to see them and proceeded to try to protect his territory. It was a bit comical actually.

After that, we went back to the beach and explored in the other direction. I found the other peak more interesting even though it wasn’t accessible. It was really cool to see what had once been a hill just like thousands of other hills in New Zealand, except that the sea had eaten away half of it. There was also a great beach on that side.

We found a fairly easy trail that would take us toward the other peak. Gretchen was game for it, we had some water, and off we went. Of course, there were sheep. We did what we could to try to get close and sneak pictures, but it was tough. They’re very timid and run at the first chance.

One final panorama. This was my favorite scenic spot for the weekend, so I really like this one.

Well, it’s late. Weekend number two coming up soon.