Makara Walkway

The Makara Walkway is a loop of about seven kilometres from the beach car park, and it earns its reputation for two reasons. It climbs steeply from sea level to about two hundred and fifty metres on the open cliff, then follows the ridge before dropping to a boulder beach and returning along the shore - so it is up, exposed, and then awkward underfoot. And it faces directly into whatever Cook Strait is doing: on a clear calm day the Kaikoura ranges stand across the water, and in a strong northerly the ridge is barely walkable. On the way are two coastal defence gun emplacements from the Second World War, built to cover the strait approaches, and the turbines of the West Wind farm turning on the hills behind. The return along the boulder beach is slow going and partly tide-affected. Farmland sections carry stock and are closed for lambing, usually August to September.

What you actually see

• The cliff climb - two hundred and fifty metres up from the beach.
• The gun emplacements - wartime coastal defences on the ridge.
• The South Island - the Kaikoura ranges across Cook Strait.
• The boulder beach return - slow, tide-affected walking.

When to go

October to April, avoiding the lambing closure in August and September. Check the wind - a strong northerly makes the ridge genuinely unpleasant and sometimes unsafe.

Honest expectations

Steep, fully exposed, with no shade or water. The beach return is loose boulders and hard on ankles. Stock in the paddocks and gates to close. Makara Beach itself has a single cafe with limited hours.

Nearby

Karori and Zealandia are back toward the city; the south coast walks are on the other side.