Makara Beach is located on the southwestern corner of New Zealand's North Island. It's just a half hour drive from downtown Wellington. The beach is an inlet on the Cook Strait which separates the two main islands of New Zealand. The Cook Strait is only about 12 miles wide, as you can see in the photos. Also in the photos you'll notice a dilapadated concrete structure - this is a WW-II gun fortification that housed a naval cannon that commanded the approaches to Wellington harbour. If you look carefully, you can also see some of those New Zealand sheep standing atop a hill.