They say you can not beat Wellington on a good day. The heavy morning rain had cleared, the sea was flat, there was little wind. This 35 km ride is flat, on mostly quiet roads. Who would have guessed that so close to the heart of a great city like Wellington would be a coastal ride like this. Basically it takes you in a coastal circuit with Wellington Airport in the centre.
Once past the Massey memorial on the Miramar peninsula you cycle past Wellington’s rocky shoreline, with its occasional swimming or snorkelling spot. If you are lucky you will see one of the Cook Strait Ferries going out the Tory Channel and heading for Picton at the top of the South island.
Lots of places to stop for coffee or icecreams, for a swim, snorkel or to people watch and wander.
The Weather is not always like this… The Sinking of the Wahine…
In 1968 New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster took place here – known as the Wahine Disaster, the Wahine ship taking people to the South Island foundered in a storm with the loss of 53 lives. I came to New Zealand shortly that – but the Wahine Storm as it became known is now part of NZ folklore.
