Eastbourne & the East Harbour, NZ
Outdoor Activitities to Enjoy When Visiting New Zealand
Eastbourne and its surrounding area are part of one of New Zealand's spectacular Regional Parks. Outdoor activities are combined with amazing scenery.
Many people go to New Zealand’s capital city for the arts, culture and shopping.
But the Wellington area also has a spectacular outdoor environment.
Eastbourne
One area you will want to visit if you are keen on the outdoors is Eastbourne and the East Harbour Regional Park.
East Harbour’s bush clad hills and beautiful beaches offer ever-changing views of Wellington Harbour and headlands. The coastline is the ideal place for walking, biking, swimming, boating, or just enjoying the bush and beaches. In the summer bright red flowering Pohutukawa trees line the coast, providing a stunning contrast to the green of the native bush
Most of the beaches along the East Harbour provide good swimming in gentle waters. Days Bay is the most popular while Eastbourne beach is a bit more rugged and expansive, providing for long walks. Watch the sun set over Wellington as you meander along the coastline. The views across the harbour and the Cook Straight ferries coming and going add a spectacular scene.
Pencarrow Coastal Trail
You can hire bikes for a bike ride along the rugged coastline south of Eastbourne. The Pencarrow Coastal Trail and walkway goes all the to Baring Head at the top of the harbour. A forty-minute cycle ride brings you to the two historic Pencarrow lighthouses - one on the beach, and the other on top of the hill. You will find a desolate landscape and a tough, yet fragile, tree and bird life.
Butterfly Creek
The native bush that spreads the length of the cost is home to a number of different walking tracks.
The most well known of these is the Butterfly Creek walk. It makes its way through spectacular New Zealand bush, ending at a well-known picnic sight. As you wander up the track you will catch yet more beautiful views of the harbour.
If you are going on any of the walks take a backpack with waterproof clothes, tramping boots or strong lace-up walking shoes, picnic lunch and/or snacks and at least one litre of water per person. Sun block and a sunhat are essential in the summer.
Days Bay
If you want to combine bush walking with a variety other activities you can easily fill in a day at Days Bay’s Williams Park. Some of the things you might like to do are:
- Feeding the ducks,
- Playing tennis on the free courts,
- Playing petanque,
- Throwing a ball in the park,
- Walking in the bush,
- Swimming,
- Hiring a boat from the boatshed.
After your activities you will deserve a coffee at one of the many interesting cafes in Eastbourne or Days Bay and a look at one of the interesting local galleries.
To get to Eastbourne and the East Harbour Regional Park you can get the ferry from Wellington. There are also regular buses from the city.
