Taking Te Araroa trail in stride
Again, public transport can take you back to your starting point.
The Ngaio section is a relatively easy tramping track which can be accessed from Johnsonville.
It’s 10km from Mt Kaukau to the Botanic Gardens — a delightful place to stop for lunch, perhaps.
From there a two-hour stroll through the city takes in some of the capital’s highlights.
At Oriental Bay the final 11km section climbs up to the slopes of Mt Victoria and follows the Southern Walkway to the North Island’s Te Araroa Trail terminus. A bus can take you back to the city — so you can plan for doing the next section on your list.
For a moderately tough section, you could think about tackling the Colonial Knob track which runs 21km from Porirua, up over Colonial Knob and on to Mt Kaukau.
If you are up for a real challenge, then head to the start of the Wellington region’s trail at Poads Road in Levin.
For this section you need to be fit — three to six days and a total distance of 45km. The route climbs into the Tararuas, across the tops to the high point of 1462m on Mount Crawford, and down to the O¯ taki River.
Spectacular, yes, but the trail notes come with a word of caution about the notorious weather and the challenging terrain.
The Tararuas are really for experienced trampers and should only be attempted in good weather.
A more moderate section, Pukeatua, runs from O¯ taki Forks through to Waikanae. It’s shorter at 25km and can be done in a day. Again, some “real” tramping is involved, including a climb to Pukeatua at 812m. With transport, the Mangaone road-walk at the Waikanae end can be avoided and cuts off 11km, making it a more manageable day trip.
■ For more information, check out the Wellington section of TAT’s website: www.teararoa.org.nz/wellington/