Walking the StairWay to Heaven - Paekakariki to Pukerua bay escarpment track, Wellington, New Zealand.
Last weekend the weather was gorgeous in the Wellington region. As we headed to a long labour weekend, my friends and I decided to go for a popular and beautiful hike - The Escarpment Track also known as Stairway to Heaven, thanks to the hundreds of stairs involved.
Recently opened, this track is part of the Te Araroa Trail, which is a 3,000 km walking trail that runs from Cape Reinga at the top of NZ's North Island to Bluff at the bottom of NZ's South Island.
The track is located on the Kapiti Coast and is 10km long which takes around 4 hours to complete. I was expecting a tough hike because a friend of my partner said it was not an easy one. We was a bit worry as my right leg is weak after my ACL reconstruction. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad, however, preparation is needed.
My friends and I live in Wellington central so we decided to jump on the train to start our journey. As we started the track from Wellington train station, the total time for us to spend on this hike was 6 hours, 4 hours on the track and 2 hours commuting on the trains. Luckily, we did prepare plenty of water and snacks to eat along the way.
There is two options for us to do this track. Based on the recommendation online, it's easier to walk from Paekakariki to Pukerua Bay as we will go down the stairs more than up them. For my friends, they agreed that we chose the right direction to enjoy the track as we met some people hiking on the opposite way and they said it was tough at the start of their hike. However, going down the stairs was not an easy task for me, my righ knee is too weak and kept shaking when I went down. So probably next time, I will do the opposite direction.
From Paekakariki, when we got off the train, we took the path that goes alongside State Highway One for about 10 minutes. We followed an off-road track until we came to a bridge with some steps. Then we went under the highway and onto the start of the track.
The start of the track is leisurely, a steady incline but nothing too difficult. We pass through some coastal bush but mostly be exposed to the sun. Luckily, I got a hat and a scarf with me so it helped me to stay cool.
Then the steps began. The stairways zig-zag up the hill to its highest point, and from here the views are truly stunning. With the height gain, the expansive views of the ocean, sky and Kāpiti Island, blew my mind away.
Keep in mind that this walk isn’t suitable for those who are afraid of heights or who suffer from vertigo. Towards the top, my girlfriends struggled from peering down the steep cliff-face. I am not afraid of height, however, when looking down the railway line, road and rocks lie far below; and with the lack of guardrails, I could feel like I could easily fall off the side.
We continue to climb, we could see the stunning view of Pukerua Bay and Kapiti Island ahead of us. Once we reach the top there are some benches we took our break to enjoy the view and had some snacks to fuel our body.
On our way back down the track, we walked through some short sections of forest, a welcomed break on a sunny day. The two swing bridges over the valley are photogenic. I was enjoying so much the feeling of standing in the middle of the bridge, feeling it moving side to side while enjoying the gentle breeze from the sea. However, it was not the same for my girlfriends as they were afraid of height.
Overall, what a wonderful way to spend a long weekend to get away from the city. In terms of fitness, it isn’t the hardest hike I’ve done (that goes to the Tongariro or Mt Taranaki). But I was so happy to discover this track almost in my doorsteps with beautiful wild flowers and captivating landscapes. This will be one of the frequent track for me to do with my friends in Spring and Summer.
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