5mcintyres: Cape Palliser

Today our adventure took us north of Wellington, over Rimutaka Hill towards Martinborough then south past the quaint village of Ngawi and on to Cape Palliser. Cape Palliser is home to the Cape Palliser lighthouse and hundreds of fur seals. It was a hilly, windy journey through the beautiful hills past 1000's of sheep and 100's of cows and even some horses. Once we got through the "hill" you pretty much felt like you were in the middle of nowhere. Even at the Cape, there were very few people around making it feel very serene. It took about 2 hours to reach Cape Palliser but seemed further because once you reach the coastline, you still have 15 or so miles to go to find the lighthouse. Just as you hit the coastline, though, the landscape opens up into a breathtaking view of the Tasman Sea and a spectacular view of the South Island Alps.

You can't take a bad trip in this country. Every bit of it is amazingly gorgeous and each of our adventures always proves to be a most memorable one. We love each of our explorations and look forward to many more!

"The road to Cape Palliser is dramatically scenic. This area of New Zealand has a rich history of early Maori occupation and heritage sites are part of the fascinating landscape. For the final part of the journey, the road clings to the edge of the coast, providing unstoppable views of Palliser Bay. Check out the quirky fishing village of Ngawihi before you drive on to the lighthouse.

Installed in 1897, the Cape Palliser lighthouse will test your fitness. Take a deep breath and climb the 250 steps. Once you're at the top, it's easy to see why this area of ocean was known for seafaring disasters. During the 19th century, there were about 20 ships wrecked in or near Palliser Bay.

The fur seal colony at the cape is the North Island's largest. New Zealand fur seals have pointy noses, long whiskers, visible external ears and bodies covered with two layers of fur. The breeding season is from mid-November to mid-January. Pups start to feed on solid food before weaning, and spend a large proportion of their day playing with other pups and objects such as seaweed and reef fish." (courtesy of newzealand.com)

Caroline was having a hard day today so we stopped here to give her a break and thought this church was stunning. A little country church in the middle of sheep fields...so sweet.

The lamb were so cute and stayed close to their mums. Most of the sheep had been shaved, I guess in preparation for the upcoming summer heat.

Dad and Calvin before they make the climb up the 250 steps to the lighthouse. Ben said it was ok going up but seemed much steeper coming down. The girls and I stayed in the car for this one. It was so windy I was afraid one of them might have been blown right off the cliff.

After the lighthouse climb, we all tramped over to the beach where the fur seal colony lies. There were so many and they blended right into the black rocks and black sand on the beach.

The beautiful hills that hug the coastline.

"Come here MaeMae, there they are!" Calvin was so cute pointing out the fur seals to Mary Katherine.

The fur seals were no more than 15 feet away from where we were standing. They were so cute sun-bathing and lounging in the sun. It was quite amazing to see how well they moved on the rocks.

The waves crashing on this beach were the biggest we've seen yet. Maybe it's because of the turbulence in the Cook Strait. The South Island was directly across from the lighthouse and we even saw the Interislander making its daily trek to the South Island and back to Wellington Harbour.