Right on schedule, we were ready to start walking, just after 10.30am, from Te Kopahou, where the visitor centre is well worth dropping into.
The area was busier than usual, with an aid station set up for the WUU2K Wellington Urban Ultra Marathon, along with supporters waiting for their friends to come through.
The first part of the track was mostly dirt and gravelly sand.
It was easy to get across the few tiny creeks near the start of the walk – those with longer legs could get across them with dry feet and those with shorter legs could bypass them.
The walk started in the shade of the nearby hill and we were also protected from the wind. About 10 minutes into our walk, a few of the marathon runners ran past us – they were all looking surprisingly sprightly considering where they’d just run down from.
The track then became more pebbly. Some parts were more challenging than others on the legs, particularly when we had to step off the track to get out of the way of vehicles.
Just before Devil’s Gate at Sinclair Head, we saw the driver of a 4WD car getting guidance on where to drive from people standing alongside the vehicle. Seeing this, we could tell why the signs at the start of the track had warned that only expert drivers should attempt driving on the gravel track.
There had been talk that we may see seals, but given that it was early July, I was doubtful. While waiting for some vehicles to go past, Amrita spotted the first seal.
After a few more minutes, we were all tuned into ‘moving rocks’ and managed to get some photos before walking the short rise (about 10 m) and fall of Devil’s Gate.
On the other side of Devil’s Gate we could smell the main colony before seeing the seals.
We spent a good 5-10 minutes there taking photos – the seals were lounging on the rocks, snoozing under rocks – and two seals started to fight with each other a little too close to the track for our comfort.
Highlights included a rolling small pup, and one of the larger seals craned it’s neck for a nice photo pose.
A few hundred metres on we found an even better spot for photos, but the wind was also starting to make its presence felt, so we walked about another 200-300 metres and turned a corner. Not only was it more sheltered here, but Amrita suggested it would make the perfect lunch spot as there was a ‘log seat’ – long enough for us all to sit down on.
Chatting away, we also enjoyed watching the waves and the tide slowly coming in. One car and a walker passed by us. It was interesting to see how quickly a car could get around on the terrain here.
On our return walk, Tony spotted a large seal hiding under a bush on the hillside next to the track. I called out to Natasha to warn her as she neared the seal, and her first instinct was to walk away from the rocks – and almost up against the bush. Luckily she stopped walking just before walking right up next to the seal.
We took some more photos of the seals, and about 500 m further along the track we came across another seal that was very close to the path we were walking on. We also came across two women there who were very grateful to be able to walk past the seal in our company. Peter and Tony seemed unfazed, happily snapping more photos as we passed.
On our return we took better notice of the cliffs and the track. We appreciated the colours – the blue sea against the red shade of the rocks.
As we neared the carpark, at around 1.30 pm, faint drizzle started despite there being no rain forecast. We all got back to the car mostly dry before heading home in Natasha’s car (or, in Tony’s case, by bike).
It was the perfect trip for a wintry Saturday – a sleep in, a great walk with even better company, and a bit of wildlife to seal the experience.
Red Rocks Walk – just under 8km in 3 hours (including lunch and photo stops)