There are an awful lot of steps, we were told, and it’s terrifyingly precipitous in places. A friend told how he came across a woman clinging to the cliff, too frozen with fear to move either forward or back. And then there is the exposure to potential wild southerlies. All somewhat daunting.
Walking the Escarpment Track, on the Kapiti Coast between Pukerua Bay and Paekākāriki, was what we were contemplating. We’re no longer the youngest, though healthy enough. So we made some rules for ourselves: if the weather forecast was for strong wind from the south we would not do it; and no matter what the suggested time on the information panels was, we would take as long as we wanted, given that the days were now longer and we would not be under any time pressure, as our accommodation was assured.
The accommodation had actually been the starting point for our adventure. I was inspired by the story in the ODT’s Weekend Mix about the project our former mayor Aaron Hawkins and a couple of friends had embarked upon — building a group of geodesic domes high up on the hills above Pukerua Bay. Their vision was/is to encourage a different type of tourism from what we have known in recent times. The domes are off-grid and built on retired farmland which they plan to revegetate, expanding on the efforts of groups like Ngā Uruora who have been restoring the coastal forest along the Kapiti Coast since 1997.
Having heard about the Escarpment Track, it seemed like the ideal thing to combine with a couple of nights sampling the Escarpment Domes and seeing the project for ourselves. If the weather was unsuitable for the walk we could have a relaxing day in our accommodation, reading, chatting and perhaps being able to do something to help around the project, as volunteer labour is welcomed.
But we struck a perfect patch of weather for the walk. In view of the need to carry supplies for two days, we set off from Wellington by car rather than the suggested train ride to Pukerua Bay (which the Gold Card would have made free). We did stop by the beach at Pukerua Bay, however, to enjoy our lunch by a perfectly calm sea, with the view of Kapiti Island and just a few gulls hopefully keeping watch on us as we ate. After sending a text message to announce our approach, we headed for the carpark meeting point. The last couple of kilometres up to the domes are suitable only for a four-wheel drive vehicle, so our host Hugh promptly picked us and our supplies up for that rather rugged stretch of road.
Being so far above the coast the only noise carrying up to us was that of the smart little trains rumbling through to Paekākāriki and beyond every 20 minutes. (What a service the coastal towns enjoy!) After a guided tour of all the domes we wandered across to listen to the music of the spheres from a viewpoint across from our dome, floating out from a solar operated recorder and surrounded by tauhinu (Ozothamnus leptophyllus), the dominant shrub on the heights.
Then back to our home away from home. Our meals were precooked, so, following nibbles and the requisite glass of wine outside in the early evening sun, dinner needed only a reheat in the microwave. It was a very relaxed team of three that retired for an early night not long after dark.
Excited and a bit nervous about the hike we woke early to ready ourselves. Top of the list — an excellent coffee from "coffee nerd" Hugh’s ingenious, intriguing and energy efficient coffee maker, an invention of his own.
Having parked our car at the bottom of the track we walked the kilometre to the station, thinking we would probably rather do that then than at the end of the day. The train set us down about 20 minutes later at Paekākāriki and our walk began. It was easy going for at least half an hour, only gradually rising through the attractive coastal forest, the ground littered with fallen ngaio flowers. It turned out to be perhaps the best time of year to walk the track, as so many things were in flower. Above the bush the steep hillsides were pink with flowering daisies (Senecio glastifolius), not native but very pretty, disguising the steep slopes that were obviously slip prone.
Every now and again, after further climbing we would come to another beautiful patch of cool bush and a gap inviting us to stop and enjoy the view, as well as the songs and activities of the many tui in the trees and often soaring above us. Towards the end of the track are two remarkably stable swing bridges offering a splendid view down on to the dense canopy of multiple greens. One can only endorse the efforts of those engaged in adding to this lovely forest.
And those steps? Indeed, there are many. The track rises steeply. Walking from north to south seemed (to me) the better choice, because the uniform machine-made clusters of 12 steps came in short bursts, but on the downward path towards Pukerua Bay there were long flights of them which I would have hated to have to climb. The reward there would be to have Kapiti Island in front of you all the way. As for the mooted scariness of the heights, not a problem.
As seasoned trampers, this track inspired no fear in us. It is well formed and ample in width. Only the southerly could make it seem otherwise, and our day was perfect.
We returned "home" to our dome happy and fulfilled. As Hugh so flatteringly put it: we had "totally aced it, staying a night then walking the track, then coming back to chill. Perfect option." We agreed.
