Tuesday, 27 January 2021
Location: Southern end of Mantell Street, Seatoun, Wellington
It was a beautiful Wellington summers day when we cruised around the Eastern Walkway. The sun was beating down and there was just a slight breeze coming in off the Cook Straight. Parking just off the trail head on Mantell Street the kids and I headed up past Beacon Hill. The paths were good and the going was only tough because of the heat. All the way up and all along the top walkway the views were amazing.
We ambled along the path for about half an hour before we took a wrong turn and ended up on the residential roads of Southern Strathmore. It wasn't much of an issue as we used my phone to link back in to the track but it was quite easy to go down the wrong path. By this stage there was no more bush cover for the rest of the walk so sun screen was a must.
We wound down through the Rangitatau Reserve, made a quick stop at the Ataturk Memorial which I would recommend for the adults (kids weren't bothered), then down to the Great Harbour Way or Te Aranui o Poneke.
The stroll back along the beach was the longest part of the walk with every rock and rock pool requiring immediate exploration.
The houses are particularly interesting around the coast and we even found a playground and toilet in Reef Bay before heading back up to the pass and the car to skip into Seatoun for a well earned ice cream.
This was a brilliant walk! Check out this brochure for more info (Wellington City Council)
Age of Kids: Miss 6 & Master 8
Walking Time: It's about 2 hours normally but we did it in 3 given all the stops.
Length: About 4.5 km
Difficulty: Moderate due to the couple of steep climbs.
Type of Track: Loop
Wet Feet: Only if you dip them in the sea.
Buggy Friendly: No as it's steep in places
Amenities: We only came across the one toilet and despite being close to town we didn't pass any shops.
Dogs: On lead.
Cellphone Reception: All the way around.
Be Aware: It is quite exposed to prepare for the conditions.
Kids Rating (0-10)
Overall Fun Factor: 8
Legendary Factor: 7.5
Would we do it again?: 10
Exhaustion Factor: 6 (it was hot!)
"We liked all the things to see, especially the rock pools."