windswept walk.

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Since moving to Brooklyn last year we’ve been treated to daily views of the Brooklyn Wind Turbine.  We tried to visit when we first moved, but missed a turn and became hopeless lost in the hills, with the turbine always appearing to be one valley away.  The turbine is tricksy like that.  For months I’ve been telling Seth it seemed to face drastically different directions when I would look at it, but he was convinced I was just viewing it from a different angle.

Finally, after months of apparent crazy talk, Seth was finally able to see the difference with his own eyes!  It turns out the turbine can rotate to face the wind.  Who knew?  After all that, we decided it was time to see the turbine up close.

Most information about getting to the turbine talks about walking the whole way from downtown via the City and Sea Walkway, but we didn’t want to deal with that nonsense.  

The drive up to the turbine is well marked, but some of the signs are difficult to see until you are right on them.  We recommend using a GPS so you don’t miss any turns.  Once you reach the sign for Polhill Reserve, you have three options to get to the turbine.


  1. Park at one of the two car parks in front of the sign and walk the whole trail (at least 30 minutes one way)
  2. Drive half-way up the hill then walk through the wooded section of the trail 
  3. Drive up the hill and park in the lot right at the turbine (5 min)
Note: There is a gate that automatically closes across the road after a certain hour, check the sign before traveling up the hill.

There are other trails that join up, but the trail to the turbine is well labeled with bright blue markers featuring a windmill icon.  




The first half of the trail is wide, rocky, and largely uphill.   This part of the track offers some gorgeous, panoramic views of Wellington City, the harbour, and the bush.   Eventually you will come to a big brown house and the ground will level out.  Here you can make a sharp left turn to go up to the battlements or continue straight.  Shortly thereafter you will see the predator-proof fence lining Zealandia; continue walking along this until you come to a road. 
 
Bikers riding along the Zealandia fence

Creepy spider

Creepy plant death
 

Q: Why did the hiker cross the road?  
A: Because it was the only way to get to the wind turbine!  
 
Still so far away!
 
There are two paths here that make up a loop to and from the turbine, take the path on the left.  You will head into a beautiful, albeit slightly creepy, wooded section.  The path isn’t very wide so if traveling with a group you’ll have to walk single file.  The trail is also open to bicyclists so be aware.   

So about that “slightly creepy” bit, along the trail we found a discarded bar fridge carefully poised at the edge of the path.  Not an easy feat.  There’s no other waste on the walk, which makes it even more bizarre.  Also of note, a stuffed fish in a tree, a rusty bike chain carefully wrapped around a branch, an oh yeah, a leg bone lying in the middle of the track and an animal skull carefully perched in a tree.  Yeah, just a tad bit creepy.

not the creepiest thing in these woods






Eventually the woods gave way to open air and we were able to see the wind turbine!  Only it still appeared quite far away.  While we had been under tree cover it had begun to rain.  Since  we had been walking 34 minutes at this point we decided to head back to the car and drive up the hill instead of completing the walk.   
Always one hill away...
 We were so glad we chose to drive, because up at the turbine, it was cold and rainy.   This may come as a shock, but it’s very windy there too!  We also saw quite a few people we passed as we were walking back who arrived at the turbine on foot as the same time as us.  

Up at the turbine there is another great view of the city, as well as a not so great view of the Southern Landfill.  There’s also a little overhang with facts about the turbine and Meridian Energy.   From the turbine are multiple other walks, some even linking up with the Te Kopahou Reserve.  




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