6 minute read
Cycle the Remutaka Cycle Trail
PETONE to ŌRONGORONGO - 2-3 DAYS - 114KM
© AA Traveller 2021
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© AA Traveller 2021
From disused train tracks to historic settlements, pockets of human activity hint at an industrial past, while rugged coastlines, lakes and river valleys allow for a total retreat into nature. As intrepid as the ride may sound, there are no major hill climbs and the tracks are mostly flat. With several access points, day rides are just as feasible as the entire two to three-day shebang. Flirting with the seaside, Petone’s fondness for good coffee, food, fashion labels and craftmanship nurtures a lively and innovative spirit. Head to Jackson St to experience the best of it. Venturing into Hutt Valley, often referred to as Wellington’s ‘big backyard’, the terrain gets noticeably wilder, and by the time you reach the Remutaka Range, the only noise left is natural. This forested trail traces an old railway line and includes a 584m-long tunnel and a 90m swing bridge over Siberia Gully. To navigate the tunnels, don’t forget your bike lights or a head torch.
Pedal on towards Wairarapa, where several townships offer hearty food, and by the time Wairarapa Moana (Lake Wairarapa) comes into view, the topography has changed yet again, into one of wetland and estuary.
The coastal road is often lashed by an unforgiving wind that gives reason to its shipwrecks and plenty of quake-made topography. At Turakirae Head, rocks once shaped by sea are now ruled by seals and it’s only a little further to Ōrongorongo River mouth, where pre-booked shuttles return to Petone and Wellington (or you can carry on along the add-on Wainuiomata Valley Ride back to Lower Hutt).
Siberia Bridge, Remutaka Cycle Trail © Johnny Hendrikus
© Remutaka Cycle Trail
RIDING THE TRAIL
Petone to Maymorn, 35km
Start on the northern shores of Wellington Harbour at the iconic Petone Wharf, or nearby at Petone Station. Travel on to the Petone Settlers Museum, built to commemorate the region’s very early Māori and European settlement. Explore the area’s heritage with a pit stop in Jackson Street’s popular cafés and shopping strip, then follow the easy-riding Hutt River Trail through the leafy suburbs of Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt. You’ll find river side parks, cafés and playgrounds and local swimming holes dotted all along the way. When you reach Te Marua, you’ll leave the riverbank and follow a short 2km section of road to the end of the trail at Maymorn (the start of section two).
Maymorn to Cross Creek, 25km
The second section of the Remutaka Cycle Trail follows an old railway route and the most popular section of this trail, established in 1878 as a connection between Wellington and the Wairarapa. The trail weaves through the Remutaka Range taking in historical sights along the way. You’ll plunge through restored rail tunnels, cross the historic ‘Howe’ truss bridge (1876) spanning the Pakuratahi River, and pass through old rail yards before a gentle climb through native bush and plantation forest to the ‘summit’. Then, it’s a downhill ride along the historic Fell Locomotive Incline with an exciting half-kilometre journey through Summit Tunnel (1877) and the majestic Siberia Gully suspension bridge. At the bottom of the hill you’ll emerge at Cross Creek, where you’ll enter the wide-open expanse of the Wairarapa Valley. At Cross Creek you can choose to turn north-east on Western Lake Rd and continue to Featherston (10km), to catch the train back to Wellington or carry on to section three.
Cross Creek to Ocean Beach, 36km
Starting at Cross Creek ride through quiet farm country along the shores of Lake Wairarapa and Lake Ōnoke to reach Ocean Beach on the shores of Palliser Bay. Your journey will take you south-west through ‘big sky country’, where sheep and cattle graze on lush farm pastures once home to some of New Zealand’s earliest sheep stations. You’ll then pass Lake Ōnoke, part of the Wairarapa Moana Wetlands Park, supporting more than one hundred species indigenous and migratory water birds. Along the way you’ll find cottage accommodation options which are great options to overnight on multi-day journeys and you also have an option to detour into Wairarapa wine country. Finally, you’ll arrive on the South Coast amongst rows of iconic Kiwi baches on Ocean Beach (the start of section four) before things start to get a little wilder along the coast.
Ocean Beach to Ōrongorongo River, 18km
This is the most spectacular section with the rugged beauty of the wild south coast. It’s matched with equally big weather which can make the trail challenging in wind and rain – plus the trail surface can be rocky and sandy in short stretches. You’ll pass by Turakirae Head and see raised beaches formed by a series of tectonic uplifts over the past 7000 years and in winter meet some of the 500 fur seals that make their home here. Then ride alongside Ōrongorongo Station, one of the longest running farm operations in New Zealand, northwest to the mouth of the Ōrongorongo River and the car park signalling the trail end. Wainuiomata Coast Rd through to Petone provides a Connector Ride to take you back to the start of your adventure in Petone, along this road you will find side adventures to the Baring Head lighthouse trails, Remutaka Forest Park walking trails, hospitality in Wainuiomata.
Cycling via the Hutt River © Caleb Smith
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRAIL
• Visit Kaitoke Regional Park and you’ll end up at the location for Rivendell in The Lord of the Rings. Film sets aside, there are multiple swimming holes along the riverbank so pack a picnic.
• Hutt Valley is composed of 3000ha of parks, reserves, bush-clad hills, beaches and walkways, with the buzzy suburbs of Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt just minutes apart.
• The 221m-long Maymorn Tunnel grants an alternative starting point to the trail.
• Taste all-natural sparkling spring water from the fountain that resides on the corner of Petone’s Buick and Jackson sts.
• Petone’s trendy Jackson St boasts a collection of hip cafés, art galleries and boutiques.
• Discover the world’s only remaining steam powered Fell Locomotive at the Fell Locomotive Museum, along with a rich railway heritage, in historic Featherston.
• Bird lovers should incorporate a stay at Te Rakau Birding and Cabins. Offering tours as well as accommodation, the area is flush with our feathered friends.
• Earthquakes and land movement have sculpted this area. Look for Kotumu Fan, the largest rockslide on the trail, although in reality you can’t miss it.
• Turakirae Head is home to hundreds of kekeno (New Zealand fur seals).
• The best detour you can take will be to Wairarapa wine country, for obvious reasons! Martinborough is in south Wairarapa and features small, locally-run vineyards with over 20 boutique cellar doors.
• The Great Harbour Way/Te Aranui o Pōneke is a 72km walking and cycling route around Te Whanganui-a-tara, the harbour of Wellington. From Ōrua-pouanui/Baring Head in the east, to Te Rimurapa/Sinclair Head in the west. Knock it out in one day, or take your time and spread it over two or more.
