Queen Elizabeth Park in Kapiti – Day 71

Today we’re going to explore some of this Kapiti Coast and go to Queen Elizabeth Park – classic New Zealand name there.

We are waking up in the lovely Moana Lodge Backpackers which has an amazing view of the ocean just outside and it sounds cliche but we are literally waking up to the sound of the ocean. So we are here, where are we going? We’re going to take this track up north and then return on this track here we go. So we’re at Queen Elizabeth Park, we are walking the regenerating sand dunes of the Kapiti Coast and getting some views of Kapiti Island along the way. The first thing that we notice is that it’s a gigantic enormous park they even have roads around to go from one track to the other because it is just that big. See that island over Laura it’s Kapiti Island it’s actually an amazing bird sanctuary. Really? Yeah. What sort of native birds do they have? They actually have kiwi birds over there? Aw, what sort of Kiwi birds? The spotted one. Oh, you do know. Aw did you try to catch me right here? How did that work, Laura trying to show off right here? I’m not trying to show off I’m just trying to make sure you know you’re stuff. She always underestimates the Robin. Stop calling yourself the Robin. So the cool thing about Queen Elizabeth Park is the sand dunes are covered in this regenerating vegetation this native vegetation which obviously originally was chopped down we notice quite a few locals walking their dogs and they’re taking this beach access track we decide to follow them and it’s just a wall of sand which we jump down and that’s fun but we don’t really think about how we’re going to get back up we’re on this awesome beach it’s covered in lots of little driftwood and it’s making all sorts of patterns in the sand with the tide and it just looks really awesome I’m taking some cool photos there’s the silhouette of Kapiti Island in the background and it’s just a stunning location. Scattered along the beach are heaps of shellfish all closed so you know if fishing regulations would allow we could just gather our dinner for tonight right here. But we kind of feel bad we don’t want to take the shellfish away from this awesome beach so we’ll leave them for now.

When backtracking and walking back toward the track that we’re supposed to take we just realise that this was a pretty high wall of sand and none of us has any idea on how to climb it back up. So I think we’re going to put the Benny Hill music right here and we’re going to have the video of Laura trying to climb that wall.

You’ve done it Laura! It’s painful to watch it’s painful to do but I make it to the top. Yes. Here you are.

We’re taking the inland track back to the car park where we have a date with Vivian and Glen tonight because we are having a barbecue at the Moana Lodge and you know it’s winter why not have a barbecue? So yesterday when we arrived a couple of Kiwis that area staying in the hostel Vivian and Glen invited us and said hey guys we’re gong to do barbecue tomorrow do you guys want to join in? We’re like yeah cool, shall we being desert? They were like yeah bring desert. I’m making cookies. So I told them I’m making homemade cookies and my own little recipe but that’s just the cookies we bought from the bread capital they’re frozen I know the recipe put them in the pan put them in the oven homemade bro. And the garlic bread was from the supermarket basically everyone cheats on this barbecue and just buys ready made things and heats it up. that’s how we end our evening on the Kapiti Coast.

Tomorrow we don’t know what we’re doing oh yeah, we do know what we’re doing, we’re going to Adrenalin Forest! We’re going to do some climbing and Robin’s going to shit his pants.

These tracks are pretty easy we’re just going up and down along the the you know up a sand dune down a sand dune up and sand dune down a sand dune up another sand dune down another sand dune and then up a sand dune and what? And then down a sand dune. Oh my God. I can’t believe it. And then guess what happens? We go up a sand dune and then guess what happens after that? We go down a sand dune. What?! Anyway…