When you think of visiting Wellington, the first thought that pops into your head probably isn’t the coastline. Wellington is known for being the beautiful Capital city of New Zealand, with interesting, unique, and modern architecture, hip bars, fashion, and a ton of Lord Of The Rings history.

Right outside of the city, the Wellington region has a stretch of road going all around the coastline, linking all the smaller towns, and past some amazing beaches. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of travelers miss out on these gorgeous sights, and I most likely would have if my WWOOFing host hadn’t taken us around the entire loop.

We started off at Wellington airport, coming down from the hills of posh Brooklyn to the coast. The road is right against the airports fence line giving you an awesome view of incoming planes. I’ve been dying to kick back and watch the planes coming in for a landing fighting windy Welly’s elements, and though I didn’t see a large twisty turny jumbo jet coming in, I did get to watch a World War II era plane land.

The first place we stopped to look around was Island Bay. Out in front, a small beach and a hardened lava flow, behind us über modern houses built into the hillside. The colors were amazing. Dark, jagged lava rock, with hints of orange brushed on, stretch out before you frozen in time.

The dark blue water crashes into the rocks from all different angles, waves coming from both directions colliding together. The hardened lava flow created an intricate labyrinth of tunnels and tiny canyons causing confusion with the waves. It was fascinating to watch the waves splash together at the break, race through the small pathways that spider web out, and eventually come together in a pool.

Island Bay

Along the entire stretch of coastal road, there are signs that say, “Slow Down, Penguin Crossing”. At first, I figured it was some sort of neighborhood gimmick, or a touristy time attraction. It was interesting to find out that tiny blue penguins come down from the hills all over the coastline at sunrise, then return at sunset. I wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of one, but I’ll definitely be back to try. We all know how adorable penguins are…

At Breaker Bay, our WWOOFing whipped out a tea-pot and we all chillaxed by the water. I’m not one for tea time usually, but it was a pretty awesome spot to relax at and enjoy any beverage of choice. The dark green Taupata plants burst out of the rocks all around. There is a tiny beach below, and on that day 4 people were snorkeling in the bay.

Out across the bay stand the Bearing Lighthouses, yes, two lighthouses. Apparently they realized that having a lighthouse on the water and not up on the cliffs didn’t work so well, which seems pretty silly to me too, so they built another above. I am obsessed with lighthouses, and the WWOOFing host said they have biking tracks all the way to the cape so I’ll definitely need to check that out!

Bearing Lighthouses

She also told us about a large boat wreck that happened in 1968. The boat hit some rocks in the bay and sunk, killing 50+ people. I was told that most were killed by the water throwing them into the rocks there, and I don’t know much more else, but it is an interesting story to look into.

After Breaker Bay we didn’t get a chance to stop after that, but we did pass some crazy cool places I’ll have to go back to. Around one bend, a horse neighed right near my window and scared the Hell out of me. I jumped, maybe screamed, and I think I nearly gave Mr. Ed a right hook as well. But it draw my attention to a massive iron and steel sculpture farm across the street that looks like a gnarly place to check out. It even has a putt putt golf course, always a good thing.

In Scorching bay (don’t ask me why they call it that, I forget) there was this tiny café that was decorated with beautiful colored tiles, and bright colored chairs right on the beach. It was raining at this point, but it still looks like a great place to stop and grab a coffee.

Before reaching Wellington is an old Air Force base in Shelly bay, now derelict buildings occupying the space. I did spot an old props warehouse, and it looks like an excellent place to snap some photos.

We capped the trip off by finally seeing the ALL BLACKS Hollywood-esque sign before entering the business district. I think I’ll either have to rent a car, or a mountain bike one day and take my time exploring the coastline again. If you are ever in Wellington and want to go for a nice ride, hit the coastal road for some stunning scenery. They even have city bus routes that go there.

 

What are your favorite coastal drives around the world? Have you been along the Wellington Coast?

Here are some posts from other traveler’s you might like:

A Dangerous Business – In Search Of Seals – Hiking In Wellington.

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