West Wind Recreation Area
Tuesday 3 April 2012, 12:39PM
1564 views
You can now get a closer look at the wind turbines at Makara following the opening of the West Wind Recreation Area earlier this year by Meridian Energy. The 62 turbines at Makara generate up to 142.6 megawatts of electricity, enough for about 71,000 average New Zealand homes.
The recreation area includes the old Post Office building, which has been converted into a viewing platform - where you can see great swathes of the coast and also the wind farm. From there, you can take a short walk to the People's Turbine - the only turbine you can access on the site.
There are also two other walking tracks that offer fantastic views of the coastline and access to Makara Beach and two mountain biking tracks. You can get to the recreation area via Opau Road and car parking is available.
The recreation area is open from 9.00am - 4.00pm and from 9.00am - 6.00pm during summer. It will be closed during lambing season from August to September.