Wellington, New Zealand on a beautiful day is unbeatable. The call to get on the bike and ride, irresistible. A ride from Upper Hutt to Wellington and round the bays and back again is a comfortable way to kill two to three hours. That's exactly how my daughter, Grace, and I spent the afternoon. Dad and daughter afternoon with something in common.

Our ride started out from Upper Hutt. The traffic was light and we only hit one red light as we rode down the valley towards Wellington so it was a really smooth ride. Grace was plugged into her stereo, sitting back and enjoying the view. These touring bikes were made for just this type of thing.

We went past Petone and the harbour came into view. It was absoultely spectacular; a deep blue with ruffles of white caps. I love riding this stretch. Unfortunately it never seems long enough.

We took the Aotea Quay turn off from the motorway and cruised passed the cake tin. A cruise ship was moored alongside the docks. Those things are enormous. Hard to believe they get off the ground - oh no wait, that's the other thing.

We made our way around Oriental Parade. The place was packed; not surprising given such a beautiful day and Wellingtonian's do take advantage of such days. As we came around into Evans Bay Parade, the crowds subsided and we pulled over to take in the view.

After awhile, we continued our journey around the bays before finally heading back up the valley. The Hutt valley is quite picturesque. We stopped off by the Hutt river. The smell and taste of the air is quite different here than in Wellington. It's the lack of salt; smells clean and fresh.

We decided to head to the Mayfair cafe in Upper Hutt for a well deserved coffee, hot chocolate and a bowl of chips. There we also encountered a gentleman who was giving away money simply because he was having a good day. The staff were certainly pleased with his generosity. I invited him to join us at our table which he did. The horrified look on my teenager's face - priceless. We talked cordially, however he wasn't giving much away about the reasons for his cherry disposition although I could tell my girl was thinking the guy's ladder didn't go all the way to the top. After I stuffed the last chip into my mouth, it was time to head home. It was an excellent afternoon tiki touring Wellington.