Eight of us set off from Island Bay in a strong Nor wester wind. We walked around the bay to the Houghton Valley entrance and set off up the hill. Luckily, we were sheltered from the wind all the way up to Buckley Road. Most of this part of the Southern Walkway is in the reserve. I had missed the turn which took us the whole way up in the park and we had a mixture of road and park. It was a short walk by road to get to the entrance of Mt Albert Park. Another climb uphill and we were at the lookout, where the wind greeted us again. After some photos, we found a sheltered spot below the lookout for morning tea. Then it was off again, descending down to the top of Wellington Zoo where we saw a large number of lemurs huddled together to keep warm. Denise and Shirley also spotted some Capybara. The it was across Melrose Park and up Sutherland Crescent to Manchester St and then across to Truby King Park. We stopped to have a look at the mausoleum of the man who helped found Plunket and Karitane, and was instrumental in saving so many babies. Then it was a walk through the pines where we meet the wind, which had become extremely strong, so we made the decision to finish the walk in Newtown. Elizabeth & Ethan left us at this point and we stopped for a cuppa and cake and lengthy chat before catching a bus back to Island Bay. It was a very pleasant way to spend Anzac Day.

Trip Leader - Judith O’Leary

Walkers: Judith, Denise A, Sue B, Suz B, Linda F, Shirley B, Elizabeth & Ethan