Wairarapa, Lower Hutt, Wellington, Porirua and Kapiti
Heading North
State Highway 2:
Take a drive over the Rimutaka hills (mountains to many) to the mighty Wairarapa, which is less than an hour away.
Check out Martinborough, a small town in the south of the area, which is now world famous for the wonderful wines
especially the Pinot Noir variety which grows extremely well in this area. Try some wine sampling and check out the difference
that the different soils and processing methods can have on the taste from these grapes. There are now a good number of wineries in this area and it is easy to spend a pleasant day simply checking them all out along with the nice restaurants.
Wines of NZ - Martinborough
A little further to the north (and only a few minute away) you find the towns of Greytown and Carterton with a range of art and craft shops with an amazing range of unique goods and produce to tempt the passing tourist! And when you are in Carterton make sure that you see the Paua Shell factory, it is an awesome place and really worth a visit.
Back to the Hutt Valley
Heading to Lower Hutt you find Indoor Rock Wall climbing nearby. This is great entertainment on a wet day, and has very modern facilities.
Over the Wainuiomata hill
... and down coast road brings you to another part of the Rimutaka forest Park called the Five Mile Track to the Orongorongo Valley.
It is a nice walk even on a hot sunny day as you get some shelter from the sun which is provided by the trees above you.
This well maintained track is an easy walk through beautiful native bush and it now takes only about 2 hours to reach the river. Have lunch and a paddle in the river and then wander back along this track.
Eastbourne
... on the eastern side of the harbour. On the weekend, when the weather is nice, you can hire a bike and ride (or walk if you prefer) to the Pencarrow Lighthouse which is near the entrance to Wellington harbour. You can also catch the East-by-West ferry from Days Bay (just before Eastbourne) across the harbour to Wellington City, have lunch in the city and then get the ferry back.
Wellington, Our Capital City
Head into Wellington City (approximately half an hour away from the club) and you can explore Tepapa (The Museum of New Zealand), with a lot of cultural and natural history. A ride up the cable car to the Botanical gardens is an interesting trip.
Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa
There are Harbour cruises that leave from the wharf are on a regular basis, or if you want to try something different hire a kayak and paddle around the docks. There are often tricycles and roller blades to hire at the southern end of the wharf area for a quick tour of this area. One of the popular nudist beaches around the Wellington area is based at Breaker Bay. There is a fair walk on soft sand to reach an area that is frequently used by local naturists.
Head into Wellington City (approximately half an hour away from the club) and you can explore Tepapa (The Museum of New Zealand), with a lot of cultural and natural history. A ride up the cable car to the Botanical gardens is an interesting trip.
We haven't mentioned the nightlife in Wellington centre which is claimed to be the entertainment centre of New Zealand. However much of this takes place well after the younger people are in bed and the claim is that the city starts to hot up after 10.00pm at night and runs through to the wee small hours of the morning. If you can handle the pace ... be there!
Heading up the Main highway
(State Highway 1),
... you can try a Quad Biking adventure just past Paekakariki (don't you just love these names),
... a visit to the Wellington Tramway Museum and take a tram ride at McKay's crossing, or horse riding at Stables on the Park in the same area,
... and visit Lindale Farm Park, a display farm and cheese making operation,
followed by Southwards Car Museum, all on the way to Pekapeka beach, a nudist beach just north of Waikanae.
For other entertainment that is on in the area check the website of :
... and the local websites: