Walking Wellington Part 2: Seals near Wellington

The weather has been very rainy lately so I have had to squeeze outdoor adventures into the few good days.  As such I've been out to the Red Rocks Reserve twice in the last couple weeks; once by myself during the week and then again this past weekend with Ross.  From May through October each year there is a colony of New Zealand Fur Seals out past the red rocks around Sinclair Head, hence the multiple recent trips.

The reserve is easy to get to by bus from downtown, though watch the time.  I missed the last bus one day and ended up walking the 3.5 miles home.  It wasn't a bad walk but I'd already covered a lot of ground that day.  The walk itself is a very easy and follows the beach on a 4-wheel drive road.  The gate to the road is only closed on Sundays, so every other day you will be sharing the track with cars.  You get to see the rugged southern coast and, if the weather is nice, you can see the South Island.    

To get to the seals, you have to walk around the point in this picture.

This is actually Island Bay (east of Red Rocks Reserve) but I thought that it was a nice bus stop view...

Snow-capped mountains on the South Island.

The red rocks are volcanic pillow lava that formed about 200 million years ago underwater.  The red color is due to iron oxide.  There are two Maori stories related to the red color as well.  In one, Kupe, a famous Polynesian explorer, had a shellfish (paua) clamp on his hand and his blood stained the rocks.  In the other story, the daughters of Kupe cut themselves in their grief over their father's absence and their blood stained the rocks.

Red Rocks - they are more impressive in person.

Now that I have put in the obligatory, pretty scenery pictures on to the main attraction: Seals!  The New Zealand fur seal has come back from the brink of extinction (caused by hunting by Europeans and Maori) and there are now around 200,000.  They are quite large with the females reaching up to 1.5 m (almost 5 feet) and the males getting up to 2.5 m (a little over 8 feet).  The Maori name for fur seals is kekeno, which means 'look-arounds'.

The combination of a pleasant walk and the prospect of getting to watch seals play in the water or laze around in the sun has earned this trek a place on my 'repeatable walks' list.  I will have to make sure to get out there again before the end of October-ish so that I can see the seals again before they take off for the season.

Zealandia

Zealandia is a predator-free ecosanctuary in the suburbs of Wellington.  At this point I have been there a couple times and am continually impressed by it.  The entire preserve is enclosed in a predator-proof fence as part of a 500-year vision to return the valley to pre-human conditions.  The 225 hectare reserve has had 18 species of native wildlife reintroduced, 6 of which have been absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years.

South Island Takahe
These birds were thought to be extinct in 1898 but were then rediscovered in 1948.
There are less than 400 in the wild today.

Bath time

Prior to the arrival of humans, New Zealand was the land of birds.  The only native mammals are bats, so an amazing variety of flora and fauna developed here that is found nowhere else.  The introduction of mammals such as rats, cats, and weasels by humans has, unfortunately, greatly changed the landscape in the past 700 years. 

This is from the exhibit in the Visitor's Center at Zealandia.

Tui
These are my favorite NZ birds, so far.

North Island Kaka (mountain parrot)

At this point, Zealandia probably has the highest biodiversity per square mile of anywhere on mainland New Zealand in terms of species living wild.  Over 40 different species of birds, 24 of which are endemic, have been recorded in the valley.  There are also dozens of reptile species, hundreds of plant species, and thousands of invertebrates.  Many of the species are endangered or are only found in highly managed settings such as Zealandia.  But that's enough preaching out of me about how important Zealandia is for preserving biodiversity... It is also a great place to take a stroll or just sit and bask in what New Zealand was like before humans arrived.

When you first go into Zealandia, you have to do a bag check to make sure that you are not bringing anything in with you.  After that, you are free to wander.  The paths throughout the preserve are great and range from paved, wheelchair accessible paths to steep, dirt tracks.  There are feeding stations so that you can get a closer look at some of the birds and weta hotels so that you can check out some invertebrates.  One area of the reserve is fenced off as a tuatara research area.  I have yet to see a tuatara there but I always spend a long time scrutinizing the ground whenever I walk by, hoping to get lucky.

Predator-proof fence exhibit

One thing that Ross and I have noticed since moving to New Zealand is that we both are really interested in the birds here.  I'm sure that at least part of it is that they are all so exotic and foreign to us.  It is an interesting experience to walk through the forest and listen to unfamiliar bird songs.  It really makes you realize how much the soundscape affects your experience of a place.

Kakariki (Red-crowned Parakeet) 

Kereru (New Zealand pigeon) 

New Zealand Pied Shag

North Island Kaka

North Island Kaka

North Island Kaka

North Island Kaka

There is a short mine shaft that you can go into to see Cave Wetas in Zealanadia.  Ross, being the uber prepared person that he is, had a flashlight so in we went on our most recent visit.  About 20 feet into the mine shaft, the ceiling was covered in cave weta.  They can jump 2-3 meters (6-9') and have the most incredible antenna to help survive in the lightless environment.

Cave Weta

Ross being scale.  Aren't the antenna incredible?!?

If you are visiting Wellington, Zealandia should definitely be on your "To Do" list.  Plus your ticket is good for two days, so you shouldn't feel rushed to explore it all in one day.

The Wellington Cable Car and Botanic Garden

The Wellington Cable Car was closed for repairs when Ross and I first got to Wellington but it reopened in mid-August and we rode it on a nice Sunday recently.  It was a lot more fun than I was expecting for a 5-minute, NZ$4 ride.  I would definitely recommend doing the cable car at least once while you are in Wellington.  It saves you a steep walk and then you can come back downtown through the Botanic Garden and by Parliament, as we did.

The Wellington Cable Car rises 120m (394 feet) over a distance of 612m (2,008 feet), at a consistent grade of almost 18%.  Construction started on the cable car in 1899 and it was opened in early 1902.  It is used by over one million people each year and is widely recognized as a symbol of Wellington.

The lookout at the top of the cable car provides an excellent view over Wellington.  It is also adjacent to the Cable Car Museum (http://www.museumswellington.org.nz/cable-car-museum/), the top entrance to the Botanic Garden (http://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/enjoy-the-outdoors/gardens/botanic-garden), and the Space Place at Carter Observatory (http://www.museumswellington.org.nz/space-place/).  There is also a free shuttle to Zealandia from the lookout (https://www.visitzealandia.com).

We wandered back downtown via the Botanic Garden.  I LOVE the Botanic Garden and am really looking forward to additional spring flowers in the coming months and then the summer flowers and roses around December or January.  There are multiple themed gardens within the Botanic Garden, such as Australia natives and a succulent garden.  There is also a rose garden, which we've yet to see in bloom, and the begonia house.

As a side note, but related to the Wellington Cable car, due to the hilly nature of Wellington and the surrounding suburbs, personal cable cars are quite common.  There are an estimated 300 residential cable cars around Wellington.  I find them fascinating and felt the need to share so hopefully you are also at least mildly interesting in the idea of a personal cable car to get you and your groceries from the street to your house.  Enjoy.

That little red thing on the track is the cable car going up to the mansion.

Possibly homemade cable car

This one seems a bit unnecessary as there is clearly a sidewalk that isn't too steep going up to the house...