Today I decided that I would go to Red Rocks, an area on the south coast that is usually full of seals bathing but unfortunately I think I came at the wrong time of the year. I had a choice to either get the bus or to cycle. I chose to cycle, as then it would be more of a day trip rather than an hour or two out of the hostel. I hired a bike from a rental place on the waterfront, the guy there gave me a map and informed my of a more scenic route to the Red Rocks. He also explained to avoid some tracks due to possible difficulty, of course I just nodded and said I understood, but more on that later.

I had hired an e-bike, something that I have wanted to try out for some time now, unfortunately this one kept coming up with an error code, I had a choice to go back and get a new one or just carry on, I decided to carry on and maybe hope that it would start working again after a while. (I got it working again from time to time on my route but it would always come up with an error code and just switch itself off)

Climbing up Brooklyn Hill was pretty difficult with the weight of the bike and the fact the electric part wasn’t working but when I reached the top it was definitely worth the effort. There are some old army bunkers at the top with ridiculous views over the city and some pretty cool graffiti art. I would definitely recommend it.

Further on along a track after a lot of steep ups and downs you get to the Wellington Wind Turbine, something I had seen from the city below but never thought of coming up close to it. Wellington is known to be windy but from up here you can really feel the wind. It was pretty cloudy and there wasn’t a clear view over the city at that time, so I rested and then continued on my way. The rental guy explained that I could follow a mountain bike track or the road down towards another track that would lead to the Red Rocks. I chose the mountain bike track, it wasn’t a difficult ride, and it had some pretty nice views over the hills and of some residential areas in the distance.

I continued on the track through some bush and then along the side of the hill. At this point there were some great views of the sea and the track continued along the ridgeline. The track was pretty rocky and steep in various areas but it was a really nice ride and would definitely do it again.

I was close to my destination when I got to a junction in the track, one went up and one went down, I presumed that I would need to go down as the track going up looked as though it would just lead to a viewpoint and the track going down would presumably lead to the beach. However I was very wrong, the track up hill was the track the rental guy told me to take but I had totally forgotten this, anyway I ventured down this grade 4 mountain bike track, it wasn’t all that difficult to be honest, until…

I was stopping in various places to take photos of some flowers and the hill sides, anyway, I got to a point and took some photos of the track which was pretty thin and close to the edge of the hill side which was almost vertical.

At this point I remember thinking to myself that it wouldn’t be difficult to fall down. I think it was just inevitable for me not to fall off after taking photos of the edge of the track, anyhow I continued for around 3 minutes before slightly going of track and then flying head first over the handlebars and falling down the side of the hill until a tree and my back broke my fall. I was only around 2 metre’s down and it wasn’t difficult to grasp my way back up the hill. Unfortunately the tree that broke my fall was right next to a very prickly bush. However the only injuries I came out with were a few prickles stuck in my leg, a medium sized cut on my arm and some skin torn away from the palm of my hand. So all in all I was fine, I took a minute, dusted myself off and carried on.

Around 2 minutes more along the track I came across a stream, and this is when I remembered why the guy said to go the other way. I didn’t fancy my chances of getting across the stream and up the other side so I took off my shoes and socks and pulled up my trousers before crossing. I got to the other side, walked up the hill and left the bike before going back down to the stream to relax for a while.

I was just having a drink and dipping my toes in the stream when a family of ducks arrived, they came pretty close to where I was and it was nice to watch them tackle against the current and then just glide down the stream. The area was full of wildlife, from insects to birds and it was very nice to just be at one with nature.

I continued down the track until I got to some big drops, which I knew for a fact I would not be able to conquer, so I got off and clambered down them and across another stream before seeing the end of the track and the beach.

The beach was very pebbly and difficult to cycle across so I decided to walk along it, I relaxed and took in the views before cycling around to the Red Rocks where unfortunately I couldn’t sea any seals. I carried on along the coast, round some very pleasant bays and back towards Wellington CBD.

The whole ride took me around 5 hours so I got a good day trip out of it. Even though I went the wrong way and fell off, I am so glad that everything turned out the way it did, I guess it made it feel as though it was more of an adventure, not knowing where I was going or just getting lost.

“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost”

EROL OZAN