Zl1/WL-129 Makara

This summit I attempted to do on the Sunday morning of NZART conference – with a promise to Geoff ZL3GA that I had to be back before my SOTA talk at conference. Fortunately the weather was good despite a light morning show however the rainbow that ensued made up for the water.

This is a great wee summit to do as part of a morning walk. Take care to watch out for mountain bikers though as the track up is crossed in several places by cyclists. If you head up in the morning you should beat the rush. The track up is suitable for 4wd vehicles so is a fairly good gradient and easy to follow to the summit. Views into Karori and north into the Wellington harbour are devine, and I’m sure on a clearer day the Marlborough sounds would also be visable. I couldnt find a way to the summit rock without bashing the gorse, so opted not to. The only thing here that makes for a natural mast is the security fence. I guess hte poles in the image below could have been used. The bushline is low – great for views, but not flash for antenna support.

Because I knew I was on a schedule I only made 4 contacts on 40 m and another 4 on VHF (including the affore mentioned Geoff from the conference venue in Kilbirnie). Down and back to NZART conference 2022 for my SOTA talk to a packed room full of hams that were either there to hear my talk or wanted to reserve their spot to listen to Bob Heil present after me. If you ever get the oppurtunity to listen to Bob Heil (he can also be viewed on youtube) I recommend it.

Details

Summit – ZL1/WL-129 Makara

Height – 412 mASL (200 to climb)

Access – next to 108 Allington Way, Karori, Wellington.

Nominal time to summit – 45 minutes

Mobile and internet coverage from the summit – Good coverage as well as 710 and 730 repeaters

Summit Marker – Radio tower

Land Access Permission – Not required