Island rich in nature’s bounty
Sharon Stephenson travels back in time to a little island that is as close to undisturbed Aotearoa as it’s possible to get.
‘If you wanna make a joke about Jurassic Park, you’re not the only one,’’ says Bob, a retired Navy vet from Seattle. Bob might be annoying – the kind of annoying that doesn’t have an off switch – but he’s got a point.
We’re on Ka¯ piti Island, the bush-clad island that sits low and solid in the Tasman Sea. Money can’t buy you love or happiness, but it appears it can buy you a trip back in time to forgotten New Zealand.
Thanks to more than a century of protection, including being entirely pest free for the past 20 years, Ka¯ piti Island is what Aotearoa must have once been like, a lush world where native birds such as ka¯ ka¯ , kiwi, ko¯ kako, takahe¯ , and hihi roamed happily in predator-free hills.
The wonder begins shortly after Paraparaumu Beach drops out of our rear-view mirror: we cross the choppy waters of the Ka¯ piti Marine Sanctuary, home to whales and coastal birds such as gannets, penguins, terns, shearwaters, and albatross.
Rated earlier this year by United States-based Big 7 Travel as one of the world’s 50 best places to visit, Ka¯ piti Island should hover near the top of most Kiwis’ bucket lists.
Despite spending much of my life living 50 minutes away in Wellington, Ka¯ piti Island was always in the ‘‘one day’’ part of my bucket list.
It took a move to the Ka¯ piti Coast – where, if I climb on the roof of my house, I can see a slither of the island – to finally push me into a visit.
Others haven’t been so slow. Last year more than 7500 visitors explored one of New Zealand’s most accessible nature reserves.
We’re welcomed with a 30-minute presentation at the DOC Centre where, in-between Bob’s incessant questions (‘‘can a kiwi bird attack you?’’), and us rolling our eyes so hard we almost sprain them, our knowledgable guides share stories of the island’s history, ecology, and how it’s been sprinting towards sustainability long before the concept was fashionable.
We’re eventually let loose to stroll tracks fringed with dense forest and climb the 521-metre peak for panoramic views of the island where nature unfolds in shades of blinding green, russet and yellow.
Not surprisingly, a reserve this pristine is strictly protected. Only two companies are approved to run day tours to the island, Ka¯ piti Island Eco Experience, and our hosts, Ka¯ piti Island Nature Tours, which also caters for overnight guests on private family land at the northern tip of the island.
Up to 20 visitors a night can stay in the rustic cabins, baches and ‘‘glamping’’ tents, with communal meals eaten at the Lodge where we spend most of our time trying to stop overenthusiastic ka¯ ka¯ from stealing our lunch. In return, these cheeky birds allow us to photograph them at close range, providing us with pictures that truly fit the smug Instagram hashtag #blessed.
Whatever you do, don’t leave without buying a jar of Ka¯ piti Island Honey, the thick, creamy organic honey harvested from 30 hives of Carniolan hybrid bees the Barrett family established in 2014.
In the 1800s, Wellingtonians wanting to ‘‘take the sea air’’ would spend at least a day weaving their way through the hills to the 40km of curved coastline, which runs from Paeka¯ ka¯ riki to O¯ taki.
Today, the good life is much more accessible – a 50-minute drive from the capital (expect this to be less when Transmission Gully opens sometime).
I’m definitely biased but there are plenty of reasons to visit Ka¯ piti: the region offers up a reliable mix of sunshine, fresh air and spectacular views, such as the ones from the Paeka¯ ka¯ riki Escarpment Track, a 10km path chiselled into the hills above the Tasman Sea.
Part of the Te Araroa Walkway, which crosshatches its way along New Zealand, this section runs from Paeka¯ ka¯ riki to Pukerua Bay, and can be walked in either direction. Just allow time to take a photo or, let’s be honest, lots of photos, because the views across the water and, on a good day, to the South Island in one direction and Mt Taranaki in the other, are pretty spectacular.
If you think you’ll visit Ka¯ piti and not spend time outdoors, then you’re either silly or allergic to stunning vistas and green pastures. The weather is generally warmer than Wellington, and they’re big on parks there, such as Queen Elizabeth Park, the Ka¯ piti Coast’s last relatively untouched area of dunes and wetland.
Named for Queen Elizabeth II, this 650-hectare park was opened during the 1953 royal tour.
Today, it offers swimming, walking, cycling, horse-riding, and picnicking opportunities, along with a tram museum, access to several wetlands, and the remains of an original kahikatea forest.
Don’t be surprised if your footsteps are the only ones in the sand because this stretch of beach is often gloriously deserted.
Another major slash of greenery is Nga¯ Manu Nature Reserve, 15ha of native forest and wetlands thick with birds (40 species at last count), and more than 200 species of native fauna. Try to time your visit for 2pm when the reserve’s endangered longfin eels are fed, or late morning when guided birdfeeding tours are run.
If you prefer your wildlife brown and flightless, then sign up for Nga¯ Manu’s Kiwi Night Encounter, where you’ll be able to see our native bird without any glass or barriers obstructing the view.
After a briefing, we file into the nocturnal house and watch transfixed as a pair of brown kiwi shuffle their way around the enclosure, being careful not to make any noise to disturb them.
I’ve never been this close to kiwi, and certainly never without any barriers between me and them, so it’s a thrilling experience.
A week later, another drive. This time I’m headed to the Southward Car Museum, a sprawling hangar-like building that houses one of Australasia’s largest collections of antique and rare vehicles (more than 500 at last count).
Mechanically-minded types will be in their element, but those of us who can barely recognise a driveshaft from a piston won’t be disappointed by this museum, which was started by the late Sir Len Southward in 1956 with a Ford Model T and a dream.
That dream was to share his love of fast, shiny objects with the world, something Southward had form with: in 1953, the pioneering marine engineer became the first man in Australasia to travel at over 100mph on water.
His dream eventually morphed into a
$20 million museum, where I eyeball vehicles such as the Benz Zelo (the 1895-built first car imported into New Zealand), the Stutz Indianapolis Racer and DeLorean (the only one on display in New Zealand).
I challenge you not to have the song The Power of Love rattling around your brain as you view the same model car as featured in the Back to the Future movies.
There’s also the space car from Woody Allen’s 1960s sci-fi comedy The Sleeper, a 1950 gangster Cadillac complete with bullet holes, and a sleek red Ferrari worth around $5m.
Some people might find it a bit odd to drive 20 minutes out of their way for icecream. I am not one of them.
An unprepossessing yellow shed just off State Highway One is where you need to go to sample some of New Zealand’s best fresh fruit icecreams, sorbets and gelatos. Koru Ice specialises in flavours such as ku¯ mera caramel and Christmas pud icecream. And don’t get me started on the ginger gelato.
If you’d prefer to eat your bodyweight in chocolate, then plug in the GPS co-ordinates for the Ka¯ piti Chocolate Factory.
They have been turning out dark, milk and flavoured chocolate from this Raumati Beach location for 25 years, so they know what they’re doing.
Breathe in the calorific goodness, sample to your heart’s content and, if you’re lucky, they will give you a guided tour, let you try your hand at making chocolate, and send you home with some more.