Wellington, Wind and nutters on the roads.
There is no doubt – it’s bloody windy in Wellington. You just get used to it, and get used to the fact that your house can shake and rattle even without a earthquake. It’s also a fact of life that the Rimutaka Hill road can be “interesting” to drive over. And it’s also the case that many Kiwi drivers are really bad at driving!
Put all those together and you can have a potentially bad situation.
A bit like the one we were in this morning.
We know it was going to be a tough drive over the hill when we got to Featherston and the signs were on warning of gusts. The weather was actually fine in the Wairarapa, but then its not unheard of for the weather to be completely different on each side of the hill. It doesn’t take long on the way up, to start getting buffeted by the wind, and the car started moving to one side. Given that there ain’t always a huge amount of room between the driving line and the cliff face (and on the other way over, between the driving line and a sheer drop down into the bush through the hopefully named “crash barrier”) you need to pay attention and keep a firm hand on the wheel.
So it was a bit scary when at one point we got a sharp shove towards the cliff, while going round a blind right hand bend, and some bloody idiot overtook us! At this point , we were already driving at about 55kph, and this guy shot past us. In itself – that is unusual, as often “overtaking” consists of someone drawing up along side you, and staying there till the end of an overtaking lane when they suddenly realise that two cars don’t actually fit into the same space and someone is supposed to slam the breaks on. We estimate he was doing over 70kph, in strong gusting winds, on a blind bend, in an overtaking manoeuvre. Twit.
I mean – you have to be bad driver to overtake like that anyway: this is not a road where you want to overtake anywhere without a passing lane – let alone in bad weather. Life is just going to end one day in a splat if you do it – and there are enough people who crash on the road as it is. It was more luck than skill that stopped him shoving us into the hillside. I would personally prefer these people did not try and take us with them.
You know – a lot of people won’t move into the Wairarapa because of the need to travel over this road. But on a good day, the drive can be a whole lot of fun. You always need to be really careful, its not an easy drive – but assuming you can actually drive a car properly – it can be great! The views are stunning (though don’t stare if you are the driver – take turns to drive!)
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Related posts:
- Only in New Zealand: Building roads 1km a year!
- Really wasn’t kidding about the weather!
- Progress on the Rimutaka Hill Road.
Comments
5 Comments on Wellington, Wind and nutters on the roads.
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Moon Over Martinborough on
Thu, 23rd Jul 2009 8:49 pm
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William on
Fri, 24th Jul 2009 2:01 pm
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Avalon on
Fri, 24th Jul 2009 5:48 pm
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Hubby on
Fri, 24th Jul 2009 9:49 pm
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Sarah on
Sat, 25th Jul 2009 10:04 pm
This road was a major hurdle for me before I agreed to move out to the Wairarapa. I’d lived in Wellington for a few years, and had always refused to drive this road!
But then we found paradise in the Wairarapa, and I had to conquer my fear of this road to live in paradise.
It was a now brainer for me. I drove it. While the first time was harrowing (I’m from the flat American Midwest), I’m now used to this road and can actually take pleasure in its twists and turns.
Check out my post ‘Conquering the road that scared me‘.
But I think the native Wellingtonians make too much of the road. They speak in hushed voices with mystical tones when discussing the “Great Road” to the Wairarapa.
It’s not so bad, nothing like the roads up to the ski resorts in France, or some of the winding, hedge-bound runs in Devon.
It would, of course, be better without the hoons.
Paradise – what a lovely way to describe it here 
I couldnt agree more. The first time frineds from Welly brought us over – I visibly relaxed and felt at home.
The road can take some getting used to – while Im in no way a nervous driver, and quite like speed – it definately took me a while to get used to the road. And I still have to pull over from time to time to let the tailgateing pillocks get past me (and thats with not dawdling!)
William, I think you may have hit the nail on the head – I too am used to twisty narrow country lanes, and really do think a lot of people in New Zealand panic too much at the sight on an oncoming car.
Talking with a colleague at work, and she has find memories of the four hour drive over to Martinborough during her childhood (40+ years ago) – it really used to take that long to get from Wellington over the Rimutakas.
With the tight corners, lack of decent crash barriers for much of the road, and generally rough road – it’s normal NZ, ‘extreme’ driving.
I’m with William on the road comparison front, but have to say the Rimutaka road is certainly the most testing in the Wellington locality; especially with the mix of crazy drivers, unpredictable weather and the occasional earthquake.
I’ll never forget my first experience over that hill – sitting as a passenger in the back, on the left side of the car. It was a dark, foggy night and the car had only one head-lamp working. I found myself gripping onto the upholstery and peering into the darkness at a very long, scary drop out of my window. Thank goodness we made it to the Wairarapa in one piece!
On a fine day, it is a truly stunning drive. One of my favourite things to do is make a pit-stop near the top and walk the half hour or so to the peak, where the most incredible panoramic views over the Wairarapa are a treat to behold.
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