Escape the city head to the southern coast
Criss-crossing Wellington are a series of well formed walking tracks that offer different vantage points to observe the city.
Mostly running through the Town Belt, parks and reserves, the tracks offer everything from a gentle stroll to a hard slog up and over some of Wellington’s biggest hills.
Wellington City Council has developed an app for the most popular tracks, but there are some lesser known walks that offer viewpoints you may not have seen before.
The City to Sea Walkway presents a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the centre and to discover the Tawatawa Reserve near Owhiro Bay.
It starts near Parliament, but for a simple city escape you only need to start from Brooklyn’s Central Park.
Once at the park you head up the hill and cross the road into Prince of Wales Park on Mt Cook, head past the historic Berhampore Nursery, dodge golf balls at the Berhampore Golf course and entering the greenery of Tawatawa Reserve.
A steep climb from the Golf Course rewards climbers when you reach the Tawatawa ridge providing sweeping views of the South Coast.
From here you have a 360° views from Happy Valley and the Te Kopahou Reserve, over to the dome of the radar station and Hawkins Hill, back around to the Brooklyn wind turbine, and north to the distant Tararua range.
A two-headed statue of Ngati Toa chief Te Raupraha looks east towards Kapiti and his nephew and lieutenant Te Rangihaeata looks to Tapu Te Ranga Island in Island Bay.
Like many tracks in Wellington this high point is an off-road intersection from where you could do a long trek up to the Brooklyn wind turbine, veer down towards Island Bay via the water reservoir or head towards Owhiro Bay and, if you’re keen, go further on to Red Rocks.
Tawatawa Reserve also has an off-leash dog exercise area near Murchison St and there are intermediate mountainbike tracks spread throughout the coastal parkland.
Once down on the flat you can go for a dip in the fresh South Coast waters, stop in at one of the many cafes and catch the number 1 bus from Island Bay back to the city.