Quatre jours suffisent pour passer du centre compact de Wellington à la région viticole de Wairarapa et à la côte sauvage du cap Palliser. Les distances sont modérées, mais le vent et la route de Remutaka déterminent leur degré de détente.
Traversez la chaîne Remutaka
Quittez Wellington après le pic des navetteurs et prenez la State Highway 2 en direction de Featherston. Le vent fort, la pluie et la circulation peuvent rendre la traversée fatigante dans un camping-car à parois hautes, alors ralentissez ou retardez plutôt que de combattre le véhicule.
Martinborough et Greytown constituent des bases pratiques avec de la nourriture, des sites alimentés en électricité et de courts trajets locaux. Si le vin fait partie de la journée, marchez, faites du vélo avec précaution ou faites un tour au lieu de déplacer le véhicule.
Journée du cap Palliser
La route qui passe par Lake Ferry se rétrécit et longe la mer avant le cap Palliser. Vérifiez la houle, le vent et les conditions routières récentes, puis laissez suffisamment de lumière du jour pour le retour.
Gardez vos distances avec les otaries à fourrure et ne bloquez jamais la route ou l'accès aux bateaux autour de Ngawi. Les escaliers du phare sont raides et la côte offre peu d'abri lorsqu'arrive le sud.
Retour à travers les villes
Utilisez la dernière matinée pour visiter les petites villes de Wairarapa ou pour une promenade autour des zones humides, puis traversez la chaîne avant que la fatigue et la circulation du soir ne se combinent.
Un parc de vacances dans la région de Wellington peut être la nuit la plus intelligente avant le ferry. Il offre une lessive, de l'électricité et un départ prévisible sans ajouter de problème de stationnement en centre-ville.
The Rimutaka Hill Road sets the tone
The road between Upper Hutt and Featherston climbs steeply with tight corners and is exposed to the wind that Wellington is known for. It is fine in a car and demands real attention in a campervan or with a trailer, particularly in a northerly.
Check the road status before crossing, because it closes to high-sided vehicles in strong wind and occasionally altogether. The alternative routes are long, so a closure changes the whole day rather than adding twenty minutes.
Cape Palliser is the best day on the loop
The drive out past Ngawi to the lighthouse takes you along an exposed coast lined with bulldozers used to launch fishing boats, past the largest fur seal colony on the North Island, to 250 steps up to the lighthouse. It feels considerably more remote than its distance from Wellington.
Keep well back from the seals, particularly between pups and the water, and never get between an animal and its escape route to the sea. They move faster than they look and will defend the space.
Martinborough works on a bicycle
The wineries sit in a compact grid within easy riding distance of the village square, which makes cycling between them the standard and sensible way to do a tasting day. Bike hire is available in the village and removes the drink-driving question entirely.
Book a table for lunch somewhere in advance on a weekend, because the village is small and fills. Most cellar doors charge a tasting fee that is credited against a purchase.
Wellington itself needs a plan for the vehicle
Parking a campervan in central Wellington is difficult and expensive, and the height restrictions catch people out in the central car parks. Base yourself in the Hutt Valley or at a coastal campground and use the train or bus into the city.
Te Papa is free and genuinely world class, and the cable car and Zealandia are both worth a half day. None of that requires the van to be anywhere near the centre.
Putangirua Pinnacles and the coast road
The Pinnacles are a badlands formation of eroded gravel spires reached by a walk up a streambed, and they were used as the Paths of the Dead in the film trilogy. The valley route is a scramble over loose rock; the ridge track above gives the overview and takes longer.
The road out to Cape Palliser beyond the Pinnacles is unsealed in places and can be affected by slips and by the sea in a big swell. Check conditions before committing, particularly in a large vehicle, because turning around is difficult.
Ngawi, the fishing village with a line of bulldozers on the beach, is the most photographed part of this coast and a good place to stop. There are no services beyond it, so fuel and food come from Martinborough or Featherston.
Zealandia and the city wildlife
Zealandia is a fenced urban sanctuary where kaka, takahe, tuatara and tui are common and visible, and the night tour offers a realistic chance of seeing kiwi close to the city centre.
It books out, particularly the night tour, and it is a much better wildlife experience than most people expect from something inside a capital city.
Lieux sur le chemin
Emportez-le sur la route
Enregistrez les arrêts. Planifiez tout le voyage.
Créez un itinéraire ordonné à partir de lieux enregistrés, calculez la distance et conservez les dates, les notes et les tâches en pièce jointe.