Makara Walkway: Wellington Without Borders

After my last exam for the year, I was looking for something rewarding to do. So when my Indonesian friend invited me for a tramp along a walkway in Karori, a suburb some four kilometers away from the city center, I immediately said yes. It would be good to try a new place to walk to. But I never thought that this would turn out to be a memorable one.

One extra large loop. The red line showed our trek that day.

The Makara Walkway is a 6-kilometer loop starting from the Makara Beach up to the West Wind Recreation Center (where the wind turbines are) and back to the coastline. But instead of starting from the beach, we started from Karori Park. This made our trek a total of 16 kilometers! But we walked anyway - at the side of the main road!

The last bus stop. No one really thought that we needed a private ride to go
to the start of the actual walkway. 

So we walked, and we walked, and we walked some more for the next two and a half hours. There were no public toilets along the way and we had to "use our initiative," as the old man said when we asked where we could pee. It was easy to entertain ourselves though, as the view along the road is simply beautiful - including those lowly sheep!

What added to the feeling of tiredness, I think, was the uncertainty of where we are going. After two hours, it seemed like the road just never ends.  I personally felt relieved when I saw the sign of the West Wind Recreation Area, the place where we agreed to have lunch.

After more than two hours of walking. And it seems that we are not yet
any nearer to where we would actually want to go.

One kilometer more, which also means another 30-minute walk!

And boy, egg fried rice had never tasted that good once we arrived at the wind farms! Imagine eating your lunch after three hours of walking with this view in front of you:

The West Wind Recreation Area: making use of Wellington's strong winds!

The West Wind is the third wind farm built by Meridian company, New Zealand's largest electricity generator. It has 62 wind turbines which generate enough electricity each year for about 62,000 average New Zealand homes. What's most amazing is that there is one (and only) turbine that the public can access to: the People's Turbine! It felt so surreal standing below it and hearing the mighty sound it generates. 

People's Turbine: It felt like approaching a spaceship.

You can still see quite a number of the turbines from a good distance.

After having eaten and rested a bit, we went ahead to the Makara Beach. On our way, we were stunned by the panoramic views of the northern tip of the South Island and Cook Strait, which explains the gale force winds at the hilltops. And it was only then that I realized that we are actually at the edge of the southern tip of the North Island.

After walking for hours, I thought Wellington has no borders!

At the tip of the North Island: stunning view of the Cook Strait.

We were really overjoyed with the view that we almost got lost when we went down to the beach. Good thing, there was a couple whom we asked for directions. They told us to follow the fence, which is actually along the high cliff of the wild, rocky coastline of Wellington's rugged southern coast! It didn't help that forceful winds were blowing from the Cook Strait and that the walk down the Fort Opau gun placements was very steep. I later learned that, for centuries, this place has been a good vantage position for the people of Makara in defending their lands.

Literally on the edge!!!

So we went down anyway. And I cannot help but admire the Indonesian women I was walking with: Rory (from West Papua), Zuraida (from Aceh), Endah and Asih (both from Java). The first two are actually moms! I could say that I wouldn't be able to walk that great length without the silent endurance and the profound sense of adventure of these women. They just wanted to explore. Rory, in particular, was not afraid to trust her instincts and just walk even without knowing the final destination.

Rory, Endah, Asih, and Zuraida: Amazing walking buddies!

As I spent time admiring the Cook Strait and the wind turbines, it just dawned on me how this trek actually reflects my life here in New Zealand for the past nine months. Asih remarked that New Zealand is like a "land without borders." I can never agree more.

Living in New Zealand has allowed me to be free from myself. Free from the comforts of my home, my family, the familiar things. I came without any assurance of what will be the end of this journey except for a goal to finish my postgraduate degree and learn new things. Although I generally look okay, living here is still surreal. I still feel lost in the myriad of new experiences I had here. But just like what Zuraida said about our trek, it was important that "everyone was kinda prepared to get lost."

Going beyond boundaries.

There were several times when I don't know if my behaviors were conventional enough or if I have communicated myself rightly to my classmates or if I even understood them correctly. There were more times when I feel confused since my ideas are often tangential to how my classmates see and interpret the readings or the things we learn in class. But still, I learned anyway. I connected anyway. I made friends anyway. And that made this postgraduate year extra fulfilling than taking it within the borders of my home country.

At the beach's cafe, we decided to treat ourselves with ice cream as we prepare for another two-hour walk back to Karori Park, where there will be a public transport. My thighs were already aching. Endah was almost limping. But I didn't hear anyone complained, only wishes thrown at the air for someone to give us a ride back. And what do you know: I saw a classmate in one of my papers this trimester. Good thing she recognized me! I told her about what we did. Pitied at the insanity of it all, she asked us if we want a ride back to Karori Park.

At that very moment, I was glad I went beyond my borders. This trek has given me more than the rewarding experience I was looking for. It has ushered me to a new and bigger world beyond, where there are lesser strangers and fewer boundaries.


Sources:
On Makara Walkway: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/wellington-kapiti/wellington/makara-walkway/
On West Wind Recreation Area: http://www.meridianenergy.co.nz/about-us/generating-energy/wind/west-wind/