Top five trails in the Wellington region
The best of the best, the crème de la crème, the pick of the litter — you get the drift — these are the best trails in the Wellington region.
Wellington is one of the most rideable and walkable cities in the world. With over 2,500km of trails, nature is on the city’s doorstep. While most of the surrounding hills are council-owned, it’s ordinary Wellingtonians who are building this intricate trail network.
Wainuiomata Trail Project
Like many trail networks, those of the Wainuiomata hills were started by people digging without permission. These tracks are aptly named ‘pirate trails’. “A bunch of school kids and a teacher built [the track] B-line,” says Martin Gribble, chair of the since established Wainuiomata Trail Project (WTP). Twenty years on, and thousands of volunteer hours later, over 55km of trails snake through the bush-covered hills. Tracks flow east into Wainuiomata and west into Waiwhetū and Fairfield.
Te Whiti Riser overlooking Lower Hutt and Wellington Harbour. Part of the Wainuiomata Trail Project.
Conservation has also been a part of WTP’s vision. “We work with [conservation organisation] Forest and Bird. They’ve done a huge amount of pest eradication and planting. We built a dam to enhance a wetland and that’s contributing to the bird life.”
Nowadays, machines are used to build many of the trails but the higher-grade ones are still dug by hand. A younger generation is coming through and so enthusiasm remains for the more back-breaking work. New members, some as young as nineteen, are serving on the committee. “It’s awesome to see,” says Martin. “At some stage, we’re going to get too old for this.” That youthfulness means WTP’s vision can span decades.
Brooklyn Trail Builders and The Waimapihi Reserve
Further south in Aro Valley sits Waimapihi Reserve, the main stomping ground of the Brooklyn Trail Builders (BTB). Similarly, it all started with pirate trials. One of the first was Highbury Fling. Rob Lee of BTB isn’t sure who built it, but the trail remains one of their most popular.
Being neighbours with Zealandia has brought Waimapihi a lot of attention. Saddleback/tieke are nesting in their trees and giant wētā, extinct from mainland New Zealand for 100 years, are back wandering the undergrowth. “Our mantra is trails, trees, and traps,” says Rob. Since they started, BTB has planted over 30,000 native trees. Dig days and planting efforts always end with a feed in the bush. They’ll fire up a barbecue and crack open a beer from a local brewery.
Being so close to the city centre means Waimapihi has become a local favourite. Rob says they get around 150,000 riders, trail runners, and walkers every year. With connecting tracks all the way to the south coast, the links between the city and the wild are seamless.
Rob thinks Wellington has some of the best trails in New Zealand, all within close, ridable proximity. “I’ve ridden [mountain biking trail] Ikigai over two hundred times,“ he says, “it still brings a smile to my face.”
Mākara Peak Supporters
To the west, Mākara Peak Supporters (MPS) has a slightly different origin story. Before 1998, Mākara was privately owned. MPS chair Kerei Thompson described the land as “neglected and rundown, covered in goats and old cars.” When the creation of Zealandia was confirmed in the same year, it took away several popular mountain biking trails. Wellington City Council purchased the Mākara Peak land and designated it a mountain bike park.
Both ventures have ended up spectacularly well and continue to complement each other. The nearby Capital Kiwi project means riders at Mākara Peak moonlight as birdwatchers. “It’s turning into a bit of a competition to see who can spot a kiwi... I just find it amazing.”
90% of the trails have been built through MPS volunteer efforts. They’ve also planted more than 65,000 trees and implemented extensive pest control.
The people digging across these community projects come from all walks of life. They’re re-wilding their local hills and creating conservation islands. It's focused, localised giving back. Their is changing the face of the city and the way people interact with it.
Lisa Ng
A member of the Brooklyn Trail Builders working on site.
Main image credit: Brooklyn Trail Builders ©Lisa Ng
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Before you go
Thousands of people use Wellington’s regional trails, so we all need to do our part to keep our trails safe and protect our environment.
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