Postcard from {Wellington} - Taputeranga Marine Reserve

It was a beautiful day on Saturday and we drove down to the south coast to the rugged coastline that lies west of Owhiro Bay. You can sit on this seat and look over the Cook Strait and see the Kaikoura Ranges in the South Island.

This spot is a place that is popular with divers and snorkellers but we are total landlubbers so we wandered down to the craggy rocks where the girls lost themselves in the rock pools until they uncovered some sea snails, starfish and a crab all in one pool which promptly scared them off exploring further. Townies.

An unsealed road leads past an old quarry and further around the point to Red Rocks and Sinclair Head. There is a fur seal colony that 4WD and mountain bike enthusiasts can ride to up to a certain point and I had hoped to walk around there with the family and take photos. That idea was quickly scotched after all three girls took a completely impromptu but totally foreseeable dip in the water instead.  It is about a two hour round trip to walk to the seal colony so the "swim" probably was a blessing in disguise.

I love that although the Wellington CBD lies just 10 minutes drive away, you can still find places like this that make you feel as if you are the only ones around.