Top walks
Love exploring on foot? Tune in to nature on these great walking tracks and trails across Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt
Te Whiti Riser
Riverside Drive, Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt
Te Whiti Riser is an easy 4km walk/ride to the top of the Eastern Hills from Te Whiti Park. Park your car opposite 197 Riverside Drive and begin your adventure. The track passes through many different vegetation types, offering extensive views of the Hutt Valley. Look out for the boardwalk on the 4km cruise or hour-long walk to the top. It’s a family friendly 8km return from Te Whiti Park or venture further on one of the easy ridge-top trails starting at the summit.
Korokoro Dam
Follow an old water pipeline upstream through mature bush to the unexpected sight of the first gravity-fed concrete dam in New Zealand, built to supply water for the Petone Borough in 1903. Start the moderate 3 hour return walk at Belmont Regional Park entrance, 10-minutes walk from Petone Railway Station.
Ōrongorongo Track
One of the most popular tracks in the Remutaka Forest Park, the Ōrongorongo Track is an easy day trip for all ages taking you to Catchpool Valley through a forest full of stunning nīkau palms, tree ferns, kāmahi and tawa trees.
Make a weekend of it and stay in one of the DOC huts. Wild Kiwi roam free in the Forest Park so you might hear them talking to each other and foraging nearby.
So blessed to be able to find places like this in our very own backyard. Tucked away in the lush greens, you'll find Wellington's highest waterfall!
Wild_ChildAdventures, Instagram
Days Bay Lookout
A gentle walk among lush forest takes you to a lookout above the wharf - take the zig zag track to complete the loop. The forest track is great for buggies (forest track only) and kids wanting to burn off that ice cream from the cafés below. Easy. 25 minute loop.
Butterfly Creek
A short sharp zig-zag climb from Kōwhai Street is the quickest way to Butterfly Creek and the views over Wellington Harbour more than make up for it. Listen to beech trees sigh in the wind, keep an eye out for ancient Rimu so big you can't reach around them on your own and be sure to pack a picnic so you can enjoy the open space next to Butterfly Creek when you arrive.