The Eastern Walkway and Breaker Bay on the First Day of Spring

The first day of spring looked promising with blue skies, white clouds and mild to moderate breeze, so we decided to explore the Eastern Walkway as apparently it is short and easy and technically still within the city.

From Courtenay Place we hopped on Bus 11 to Seatoun and got off in Seatoun Park. From there we followed the signpost to Pass of Branda and then to Breaker Bay. Man, this is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in Wellington.

We walked down to the beach and made our way to Point Dorset. We knew that it is quite a distance to walk to and from Point Dorset but we just had to do it. The weather was good anyway and we both love walking so it would have been a shame if we didn't do it. And I am glad that we did because I finally found what I have been looking for.

Almost half-way through the beach walk is the hole in the rock which is one of those things that I needed to see. I missed it the first time I went to Breaker Bay so I was so happy to see it up close and personal this time.

After more or less than half an hour taking photos of and with the hole in the rock, we continued our walk to Point Dorset. At one point, I got lost in the beautiful sound of the crashing waves that I forgot I was walking too close to the water. A big wave came rushing towards me and I panicked. I ran to Eirenne screaming. Haha.

The Point Dorset area is more of pebbles and shells than sand. This is where we found some beautiful Paua shells. This is also where Cookie (Eirenne's beloved hedgehog stuffed toy) almost got blown into the sea. Luckily, we caught it just in time.

After that terrifying experience of almost losing Cookie, we walked back to Breaker Bay Road towards Tarakena Bay. Here, we saw the warning sign "Penguins Crossing" because apparently, little blue penguins live here. Unfortunately, we didn't see any at that time, but I read it somewhere that they are more likely to be seen in the evening.

Then we climbed up the hill to Ataturk Memorial. This part of the Eastern Walkway is well-paved with a combination of equally distributed gravel, concrete (or asphalt) pathways and wooden steps. By this time, we would have been walking close to three hours, longer than the recommended walking time for the entire loop which is just two hours. This is normal for us because when we walk, we take time to admire the magnificent views and capture every moment of it.
The Ataturk Memorial to honour Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first leader of the Republic of Turkey.

The view from the top of the hill was breathtaking. The mountain ridges, the cove, the Ataturk Memorial from afar, the sea and the winding road - just really awesome. We could even see the Pencarrow lighthouse from a distance.

After almost an hour of walking in the open, the route led us into the bush. The track here is quite irregular but remains easy. We walked under almost naked trees and on dried pine needles.

A bag of crisps and a non-stop chatting later, we finally reached the Beacon Hill exit. We walked back to Seatoun Park where J kindly picked us up. 

It was indeed another fun and unforgettable walk with my adventure buddy, who also took some of the photos above.
Photo taken by a stranger from Somalia who claimed to be a professional photographer. 
What do you think? :)


tintin x

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