Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

1. Makara Beach (access from Karori or Johnsonville)
2. Over the mountain to the Wairapa for lunch in Greytown.
3. Cape Palliser lighthouse (Wairapa) - too far to do more than very occasionally.

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

Depends how long you want to drive really!

Southward Car Museum, that nice Cafe in Paikakiriki, beaches up the Kapiti Coast, Otaki (few nice cafe's and some good discount retail shops - ideal for Icebreaker bargains!)...even up to Palmerston North should you desire it...

Stonehenge replica across in the Wairarapa, not to mention a trip into Martinborough for lunch and some vineyards :thumbup:

Visit Lake Ferry for sunset and have a beer and fish n chips at the hotel.

You could even do Blenheim & Picton if you get the earliest/latest ferries across! :D

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

True enough - some good suggestions thanks. I'm looking at the lower end of driving hours because of kids being involved. I've been to Palmy but wouldn't drive there just for the day unless I had a particular reason.

Irnbru so pleased you mention cafes too (lol)....very important even Makara beach has a cafe open some days a week.

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

1. Turikurae head - a walk to a seal colony when you get there.
2. Kaitoke
3. Staglands wildlife park
4. Short straw cafe in Whiteman's valley
5. Masterton - great park for kids

A few of our recent trips out

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

Cant believe Otaki got a mention.

Next someone will be suggesting day trips to Foxton, Levin, Shannon and Bulls.

Actually, these places have something for a brief stop (maybe an extended toilet stop!) as you pass through going somewhere else.

But I wouldnt recommend any of these for a day out though.

Foxton has the windmill replica, and horse drawn tram.

Levin has the childrens playground

Shannon has, well does it have anything? Some third hand book stalls?

Bulls, no I cant think of anything.McDonalds.

Otaki does at least have horse racing occasionally.

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

Done all of the above as a road trip for the day, head up, turn round at Bulls then head back down, stop as much as you like and lets you take in different places really, and Otaki has that handfull of outlet shops where you can pick up some fab bargains in Icebreaker and (apparantly) Bendon amongst others! And the food and coffee in Traffic cafe is worthy of Wellington :thumbsup:

You really need to start seeing the good in places ;):rofl:

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

hey luvwelly, I live near palmy and even I don't go there unless I have to LOL
(don't get upset all of you who live in Palmy - it's a joke - John Cleese was SOOOOOOO right).

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

Hah!
Yeah Ive done all that but the second time is even less exciting than the first. Its hardly exciting fare to tempt immigrants, a rainy day on Hayling Island beats the pants of all of them.

Another brief stop is the Lindale Centre at Paraparam where the kids can at least see some animals and you can get a decent ice cream.

Im sorry , outlet stores in Otaki doesnt do it for me~

We used to like stopping at a backpackers/roadside cafe near Sansom, but I see there was a fire there last week.

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

Cue Genesis: "I really LOVE it in Palmy..."

I have to admit I have never seen the need to do it as a day trip.

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

Palmy's fine - some decent shops but I've got 'decent' shops in Welly. I've done it once - spent the night therefore no need to drive back there again really.

It's unusual for an NZ town because of the big square in the middle of the town centre so it's worth going to see that...many North Island NZ towns are so samey architecturally.

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

I drove through Bulls last year and it was one of those places that if you blinked you'd miss it. There are lots of those in NZ though.

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

I do that in Auckland, blink, blink, blink again and its still damned well there :rofl:

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

$140 finest Icebreaker Merino for $70 2 weeks before heading back to the bloody freezing UK does it for me :thumbup:

Think you missed the point a lil, was only some suggestions of places to consider when getting out of our lovely capital for a day :)

Kapiti Island of course is another option...

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

lol yoo make me larrrf... :rofl::lol:

bloody freezing UK? ........ :rofl:

Yes it is.... so is here.. like yesterday.. Man, it was bad. :thumbdown: The cold....ooohhhh. .. thought I was going to frozen dead last night.......(walking on my way home from work at 9.30 pm :eek:)

btw, You are bloody funny Mr Bru....:thumbup: (Love'n it ) :D

I agree with most of what you've said here though.....

Re: Day trips by Car from Wellington
 

Time to get that electric blanket out then Libby!! :rofl:

Or just wrap yourself up in pink batts.... :thumbsup: