Remutaka Hill & Cape Palliser — Wellington to the Wild SouthCoast.
Distance
130 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
1,000 m
Remutaka Hill & Cape Palliser — Wellington to the Wild South Coast.
From the capital, SH2 climbs the tightly twisting Remutaka Hill — a long-time favourite of Wellington motorcyclists — into the Wairarapa wine country. From Martinborough the route runs down to the wild, windswept south coast and the red-and-white Cape Palliser lighthouse, the North Island's southernmost point.
Quick facts
SurfaceMixed
Distance130 km
Days1
Total climb1,000 m
DifficultyModerate
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The route.
WellingtonStart · Start in the capital. Ride north through the Hutt Valley to Upper Hutt, where SH2 begins its climb over the Remutaka Range.
Remutaka Hill Summit (555m)Mountain Pass · About 4.5km of tight, cambered switchbacks each side of the 555m summit — a classic Wellington motorcycling road. Watch for cyclists and winter ice.
FeatherstonRestaurant · First Wairarapa town at the foot of the hill. Home to the Fell Engine Museum, the last of its kind in the world. Coffee and bakery stop.
MartinboroughScenic Point · A village built around a Union-Jack-patterned grid of streets, now the heart of Wairarapa pinot noir country. Cellar doors ring the square.
Lake FerryScenic Point · A remote pub and black-sand lagoon on the south coast where Lake Onoke meets the sea. The road turns wild and exposed from here.
Cape Palliser LighthouseEnd · The North Island's southernmost point. A fur seal colony sprawls along the rocks and 250-odd steps climb to the 1897 lighthouse. The final stretch is gravel.
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