Getting out of town without driving

The Wellington harbour hosts many beautiful views, bays, little mountains and islands.  Callie and I finally found a weekend to duck off and enjoy one of these little paradises that we had been looking at for over a year.

As it turns out Matiu/Somes island located in Wellington harbour allows for a few campers to stay overnight every day so we packed a bag, packed some camp food and hopped on the little ferry heading out to the tiny bump of land poking out from the sea.  Arrival at the island starts with a thorough pack and bag check at the Rat House and an introduction to the island's history by the care takers.  Callie received the clean tent award from the ranger.  They're actually looking for dirt, seeds, or vermin - not illegal substances.  The island has served as a home to the Maori, as an animal quarantine station and is now a historic reserve.

Our camp ground was located in one of the paddocks on top of the island.  We were in a good neighbourhood with a couple of ducks and a herd of sheep next door.  The island has a track around its crown that is the main attraction which can be walked leisurely in about an hour.  Along the way we saw Red-Crowned Parakeets, Skinks and Weta.

I also spotted my favorite, the rare Wellington Wilhoit

The coast around the island is quite beautiful with lots of rocky beaches and little coves.  The beach is protected as nesting grounds for the various birds of the island including Little Blue Penguins.

The island closes to visitors at 5pm. Those staying on the island can continue to wander around seeing the sights.  We were then off around the island for a night walk which definitely paid off.  A beautiful view of the coolest little capital in the world lit up at night was just the start.  Further around the track we came across some of New Zealand's infamous little blue penguins that had climbed up the steep cliffs for a good nights sleep.  We stood there for the better part of half an hour watching them about five feet away as they looked around trying to find us all while chatting with the other little penguins getting ready to make their own nests for the night.

After a good nights camp and another ferry ride back to civilization we returned home having seen a bit more of what the neighbourhood has to offer.