This stunning nature reserve is a haven for endangered native birds and other wildlife, and features a long list of historical and ecological attractions. You’ll travel through thriving native forest and plant life on your way to visit WW2 gun emplacements, old quarantine buildings, and a quaint lighthouse.
Alighting from the ferry, a chirpy Department of Conservation ranger greeted us and ensured we cleaned our shoes and checked our bags, in case any pests had hitched a ride over from town.
Matiu/Somes is a predator-free island, so they’re biosecurity sticklers for averting the threat of an incursion. Rats and other pests were eradicated from the island in the late 1980s and as I set off on the loop walk, the cacophony of birdlife serenaded my arrival.
With their successful reintroduction, the sight and sound of the red-crowned parakeet, or kakariki, is a real joy. I was surprised how close they’d let you get to them. In addition to kākāriki, other native forest bird populations include fantail, kingfisher and silvereye. Down on the shoreline, a variety of seabirds, including gulls, the spotted shag, variable oystercatchers and fluttering shearwater, were busy feeding.
Without the threat of cars and predators, Matiu/ Somes Island also provides a critical habitat for the world’s smallest penguin— the little blue penguin or kororā.
I’m not a huge fan of creepy crawlies, but the island also has a thriving population of Cook Strait giant wētā and Wellington tree wētā, after being reintroduced 25 years ago. The island is a triumphant ark of native species, in the heart of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. The 40-minute loop track takes you around Matiu/Somes Island, offering spectacular views across Wellington Harbour, cut like a keyhole into the bottom of the North Island.
After enjoying some sun-splashed island time, I rejoined the ferry for the short hop over to Days Bay. Sitting amid a sweep of pretty coves and sun-splashed beaches, Days Bay is an Eastern Bays sojourn from the city bustle.
Look up Wildfinder Pencarrow, hire an e-bike and soak up the dramatic coastline and pounding ocean all the way to Pencarrow Lighthouse — it’s 90 minutes return. Once home to New Zealand’s only female lighthouse keeper, it is now a destination where you’ll enjoy unrivalled perspectives along the storm-lashed harbour entrance. It’s a banger of a ride. Wildfinder also offer kayaks or stand-up paddle boards for hire, from The Boatshed at Days Bay. However you choose to savour the outdoors, reward yourself with a chocolate milkshake from Chocolate Dayz Café in Days Bay.
North of the capital, I took a drive on Transmission Gully, parking up at Paekākāriki to strike out on the Escarpment Track. Running from Paekākāriki to Pukerua Bay, this exhilarating track is part of the Te Araroa Trail. A reasonable level of fitness is required as you navigate some of the more strenuous features, notably the 400 steps on the Stairway to Heaven. (If you set off from the Paekākāriki end, at least you’ll be descending this stairway, rather than trying to clamber up it.) The views across the coast and ocean and out to Kāpiti Island are stupendous if not a little vertigo-inducing. Additional highlights include swing bridges near Pukerua Bay and the soothing shade of the native forest.
Then there are the unforgiving drop-offs. It’s not for the faint-hearted and watch your step on the track, because there aren’t guard rails to catch you. Interpretation panels along the track relate the area’s long history and significance to Nga Uruora. It’s a superlative trail best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, with plenty of water, as you drink in those knock-out views and keep a watchful eye on your footing. Lower your carbon footprint by integrating a train journey into the experience, when you reach Pukerua Bay, by catching a train back to Paekākāriki. It’s our walk of the Gods. www.wellingtonnz.com
