Te Kopahou Reserve, Wellington
Combined SWTC / MTC trip, 22 November 2025
An early start from Greytown brought us by car and train before 9 a.m. to
Wellington, where Liz joined us. Bus 29 then provided a tour of the
southern suburbs before depositing us at Owhiro Bay.
It was a short walk to the road end, where the visitor centre taught us
about shipwrecks, seals, quarrying and geology. The lady with the coffee
caravan was just opening up. ‘It’ll be 20 minutes,’ she said. We waited
and were glad.
The day was cloudy with a cool southerly breeze. Many walkers and
4WD vehicles were on the coastal road. At Waipapa Stream, around the
corner from Red Rocks, we climbed an old 4WD track with just enough
room to squeeze between the gorse bushes. We later discovered that it
had been abandoned. If we’d crossed the stream we’d have found the
entrance to its replacement, which we saw from above.
Our lunch stop gave a view over the harbour entrance to Pencarrow
Head, Cape Turakirae and the southern Remutaka Range. Now with
more open travel, we made good progress northwards in the direction
of—but not to—Hawkins Hill. A right turn at our highest point for the day,
320 metres, took us steeply into and out of a deep gully rich in mahoe.
All that remained was to descend the Tip Track, with Wellington’s landfill
on our left, to Happy Valley Road.
Including stops, the walk took about five hours. A spare quarter hour
before our bus arrived allowed us to admire the sculptures at Carlucci
Land Mini Golf.
Liz Frater, Josh Oakly, Geraldine Oliver and John Rhodes (coordinator)
