Bring your togs to Makara. The road ends at the beach which is pretty wild but a super place to check out life in the rock pools. Photo / NZME
Bring your togs to Makara. The road ends at the beach which is pretty wild but a super place to check out life in the rock pools. Photo / NZME
The community's spirit and their pet eels are a source of pride in this town, discovers Elisabeth Easther.
Origin of name: Some say it's named for the Makara Stream. Ma being Maori for white, and kara a kind of greywacke stone. Others say it's for "the head of the fish" while yet another suggested it meant "a point to come or go from".
Population: 783
Two worlds: Makarais a curious combination of old guys who are dedicated year-round to their wood piles, with a growing influx of young families moving in to stir it all up.
Town hero: Ted Smith cleans the rubbish from the hills and plants lots of trees. Now in his 80s, he's still going strong.
Old news: Makara Beach was the site of Te Rauparaha's last cannibal feast.
Gold news: More than 2000 people came to Makara during the gold rush. And did they find any gold? No. But they did leave a lot of old mine shafts and equipment hidden in the landscape.
Famous local: Ruth Paul, award-winning kids' book author.
Infamous locals: Way back in the old days, a French chap named Louis had a bach at Makara Beach, by Fisherman's Bay. With his flowing white beard and collection of cats, he'd sit outside his old whare and talk of the days when crayfish were as plentiful as rabbits.
Big business: Locals hire out their hall and St Patrick's Church (it's community owned) to pay for their upkeep. Karori Golf Club is in Makara and employs a fair few locals.
Sources of pride: The community spirit and the sweet little school with its bulging roll of 35.
Town fiestas: The regular Quiz Night in the local hall. Made in Makara, the community's annual dinner. Halloween is another date that draws people out in their spooky droves.
Blow me down: Be warned, when the northerly wind's howling, you'll want to nail everything down. In a southerly too for that matter.
Best reason to stop: The road ends at the beach, so if you don't stop you're going to want to be wearing togs.
Power to the people: The Wind Farm went up in two stages over a 10-year period. It has rather divided the community but Meridian has done some amazing things for the community and the Meridian Wind Farm Walkway is a corker of a hike. Stand under these vast turbines and get charged up.
Best place to take kids: Trot along to Pony Club, BYO pony or ride one of the resident creatures. Or take them to the beach to poke around the rocks, Makara is very popular for rocky shore studies.
Best place to take cats: The Makara Cattery is possibly the most luxurious and fun lodging for cats in the lower North Island. Purrs guaranteed.
Best park: The Meridian West Wind Recreation Area (includes the old Post Office telecommunications ruin) on the top of Quartz Hill.
Best playground: The local school has a phenomenal new play arena with a big basket swing and climbing equipment, it even has a flying fox.
When you've got to go: There are toilets at the beach, there are also some decent dunnies at the cemetery and some up at the windfarm.
World War II gun emplacements overlooking Cook Strait at Makara. Photo / Isobel Ewing
Best walk: The Meridian Wind Farm Walkway is a demanding 6km loop with some serious climbs where you'll be rewarded with views, and it returns along the beach. Leading to old gun emplacements, there are fascinating information panels along the way.
Best view: Pop up to the aforementioned gun emplacements, looking north to south you'll see the Kaikoura Ranges in all their snowy glory, Kapiti Island, Mana Island, Cook Strait, the Marlborough Sounds. Whether there's ghostly sea spray or it's as calm as a millpond, the scenery is very dramatic.
Best places to pull over: St Patrick's Church is excellent if you're fond of history. Or stop at the estuary for a picnic.
Best swim: Down at the beach, go to the left side away from the estuary " only for strong swimmers, and shoes are recommended. Or visit the school swimming pool, if you know a local with a key.
More fun: Pest control is big around here and the school does a lot of work to keep the possums, rodents and rogue goats at bay. Plus the residents do regular clean-ups of the beach and surrounding areas. Flotsam and jetsam around here is pretty fascinating and you might be rewarded with a seal carcass for the vege garden.
Best museum: There's no museum but the graveyard is good for finding out a little about the people who lived and died round these parts.
Art gallery: Newly opened, Makara Gallery is grand for browsing or buying art, or you can take classes.
Cream of the coffee: Makara Beach Cafe has a coffee machine - or make friends with a local because a lot of the people who reside here are pretty sophisticated and can make mean flat whites in their homes.
Baked goods: Wangle an invite to a function where locals bring a plate, the local bakers can be quite competitive.
Best food: Makara Cafe is the only option and it'll do fine. Think fish 'n' chips on the beach, toasted sandwiches, an ice cream, that sort of thing.
Best mountain biking: The Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park, 250 hectares of retired farm land that's now home to over 40km of tracks, Catering to all skill levels, it's there thanks to the work of amazing volunteers. With some hearty steep sections, there are wicked views from the top across to the city, Johnsonville and Cook Strait. Walkers and runners also welcome
Hole in one: The 18-hole Karori Golf Course is in Makara and it's very well thought-of.
Mud guards: Four wheel driving out here is big with bogans, hoon all the way from Makara around to Red Rocks.
Learner drivers: For some reason people bring their kids out here to teach them to drive, which is strange as it's not an easy road, with all the chicanes and crazy corners, so do watch out for the vehicles sporting L plates.
Wildlife: There are some very old pet eels in the stream next to the school and they're quite partial to a feed of dead rats or mice, but be careful of your fingers. The dense bush is all a-twitter with native birds, some of them escapees from the nearby Zealandia Bird Sanctuary. There's even a shag colony.
Safety warnings: Please don't fall down a disused mineshaft. And never assume that Makara Beach is safe as it's pretty wild, even on a good day.
