Trip to Kapiti Island March 2011

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Yesterday Rosemary and I went on a group visit with the Manawatu Forest and Bird Society to the Kapiti Island Nature Reserve, just off Paraparaumu, north of Wellington. Rosemary had been on at me to visit the island for years, and since our 36th wedding anniversary is within the next couple of weeks, and my walking mate Dennis who is in the F&B branch had a space available, we thought we'd join in as an early anniversary treat.

We left home in the car at about 7:00am for the drive down to Paraparaumu, a beautiful fine early autumn morning, arriving at the Paraparaumu Boating Club car park a little earlier than the 8.45am meeting time.

Kapiti is a nature reserve, and is now believed to be free of introduced predators like rats and stoats, and introduced animals. The island was once a Maori stronghold, and has seen attempts at farming since its early European days, and as the base for a number of whaling stations.

Now it is a restricted access environment, with an associated marine reserve. The native bush is glorious, and the native bird life is abundant. We saw many of the more common species there, unfortunately the snapshop digital cameras don't do justice to the longer shot. The following pictures are a summary of the day.

Captions are below each picture.

A view from the carpark to Kapiti Island in the morning. Our plan is to walk to the 520m summit. The beach is a shallow beach, although the channel and shore off the island is more deep and steep.

Our taxi awaits in the carpark. The ferry is a 9.5 metre catamaran powered by twin Honda outboards, and rated for 30 passengers. We boarded in the carpark, and rode out to the beach on the trailer and launched stern first. Notice the red neck tractor!

We had an audience as we swung around to back into the briny. The launch was effected about 50 metres out in the tide.

The crossing took about 20 minutes - as you can see it was calm - and the boat nosed onto the steep shingle beach of the island. The ramp is a fixture on the foredeck and is slid out to the shore. The skipper is the guy with grey hair, and the Maori chap is our guide for the day - a part-timer from the mainland who looks after a couple of groups a month.

The welcome sign. we walked to the Visitor Centre where we had an introductory talk by the guide and a look at the various static displays of the history, flora and fauna of the island.

We were told of a ferret which was seen on the island the previous November and the efforts to find it and eradicate it. (Later told that the process cost $30,000 and the animal was trapped after they used bait scented by an in-season female). Before leaving on the boat we had to check our backpacks to make sure there were no rodents or stoats etc hitching a ride - it has happened before apparently!

We walked up the Wilkinson Track, and as you can see here early on in the lower level forest it is quite 'civilised', although it did become steep later on. Dennis who must be a bit of a caveman, says that his missus, Alison insisted on carrying the pack for them! Lucky lad!

A view east, toward the mainland just after starting the climb. It was not a windy day, the shade was welcome, and the track was thankfully dry.

Another view of the channel, towards the north, using the limited zoom on the camera.

Rosemary and Alison as fresh as daisies. But then again they were stopping to admire each flower, bird, view and to enjoy their own particular bird song!

Rosemary took this picture of Dennis and me.
Dennis thought I wouldn't post it because it was a gay-boy pic. But you will notice I was keeping my hands to myself! ;-)

Alison either stretching or supporting mighty trees. One of Rosemary's pictures.

We saw lots of weka on the track and nearby in the bush.

At one point half way up, a native parrot landed on a guys arm when he had just taken a muesli bar from his pack. The bird stole it from his hand and withdrew to a nearby tree where it proceeded to open the wrapping. We were warned about this sort of behaviour from the birdlife, who are not frightened of people - the incident was quite unintentional and the guy was more concerned about losing his snack than spoiling the bird's natural appetite.

The grey native robins were in abundance, and would come looking for the insects at our feet if we disturbed the surface or the leaf detrius.

At the summit, where there is a trig station and lookout, we enjoyed lunch in the sun, and views all around. The summit is at 520-odd metres.

Dennis taking a breather at lunch.

There were a couple of weka wandering around our feet, looking for crumbs. We were under strict instructions not to feed them.

A view to the south, and towards the north western south island. Farewell Spit was visible out to sea.

A view out to the west. Quite a steep drop to the Tasman Sea below. Australia is out there somewhere!

A view to the north of the island.

A viewing platform has been built into the summit trig. Rosemary and me with the mainland and Paraparaumu behind us.

I finally worked out how to do a panorama shot. A view toward the mainland.

Rosemary at the rest area at the summit.

We left the rest area and took the alternate Trig Track down to the beach. We were earlier advised it was steep and quite rough and not so good for older folk with knee problems. That is why we went up the more civilised Wilkinson Track. Yet a lot of the folk, many older than us went up the Trig Track and down the easier one. (And they looked knackered at the top!)

We were the only ones in our group as far as we know that went down this track, and it was certainly a brutal track, stepped in tree roots, and quite steep. I'm glad we went on it, and even more glad that we didn't climb it!

Giving the knees and ankles a breather on the way down the Trig Track.

Rosemary about to come down some tree-root steps. The picture doesn't do the difficulty of the track justice, since I used a zoom.

A historic whare (cabin) just above the beach which has been restored, and is used by conservation support staff who visit the island.

Walking back to the beach spotted this tui (also called a parson bird due to it's white clerical collar) in the flowering flax.

Down at the beach, waiting for our 3:00pm ferry ride.

And here it comes, right on time.

The ramp is pulled down, and we are counted on board.

Back at Paraparaumu the boat is driven on to the trailer and pulled to the beach, where we leave via the stern gangplank to the sand. Then the boat was re-launched to cross for a return trip to get the next group.

We enjoyed a walk on the beach, barefoot in the tide in the mid afternoon, before heading north.

We had a stop at Lindale for some gourmet ice cream and ginger beer, and then a cuppa with friends north of Otaki.

Home at 7:30pm and after unpacking the car a celebratory takeway feed of Chinese, a look at the day's pictures, and an early night!

It don't get much better than that!