In this page, you will find informations and advices we can give, based on our experience
Cape Palliser - North Island
Cape Palliser is 150 km (2hrs 20mins drive) from Wellington and 65 km (1hrs drive) from Martinborough. The Cape Palliser Road is beautiful and well worth the detour. The turquoise sea contrasts with the black of the sand, and in spring, the yellow of the wild flowers enhances the overall effect.
Cape Palliser Lighthouse
253 steps !
30 minutes
Free
The road ends at Cape Palliser lighthouse. At 18m high, it's the only red-and-white-striped lighthouse in New Zealand. You have to climb 253 steps to reach the foot of the lighthouse. From here, the view over the bay is superb on a clear day. The shades of blue in the ocean are clearly visible.
Sea Lions Viewpoint
No hike
Depending on wish
Free
Easily accessible, Sea Lions Viewpoint is the North Island's largest fur seal breeding area. They're everywhere, on the rocks, on the lawns, under the bushes. You can walk among the sea lions.
Putangirua Pinnacles
3 km one way - 45 min
Elevation gain 319m
2 to 3 hours
Free
Once again, this is a setting from The Lord of the Rings, Episode 3, The Return of the King.
The hike follows the riverbed up to the end of the canyon. The walk is a bit strenuous, as it's over rocky ground. The views from the bottom aren't great. On the way back, a steep trail climbs up to the lookout for a view from above. It's a little nicer, though limited.
Access: from the DOC campsite.
Sur la route
No hike
Depending on the stop
Free
Generally speaking, the roads are beautiful in New Zealand. The Cape Palliser Road is another notch above, bordered on one side by the sea and on the other by the mountains. Although sea lions can be seen at Sea Lions Viewpoint, isolated sea lions can be seen all along the road on the black sand beaches. This sand and the turquoise blue of the sea are magnificent. In the spring of 2023, we were lucky enough to see fields of yellow flowers.
Lodging
We have tested :
Copyright Magali and David BELLEC