East Harbour Regional Park is a regional park stretching from

Baring Head Baring Head ( mi, Ōrua-pouanui, officially gazetted as Baring Head / Ōrua-pouanui) is a headland, located between Wellington Harbour and Palliser Bay at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand. It marks the southern end of Fitzro ...

along the east side of the Wellington Harbour along the east side of

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

. It is located in

Lower Hutt City Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most ...

, in the

Wellington Region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is a non-unitary region of New Zealand that occupies the southernmost part of the North Island. The region covers an area of , and has a population of T ...

of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. The park is operated by

Wellington Regional Council Wellington Regional Council, branded as Greater Wellington Regional Council, is the regional council overseeing the Wellington Region of New Zealand's lower North Island. It is responsible for Public transport in the Wellington Region, public ...

Geography

The park covers the bush-clad hills between Eastbourne and Wainuiomata, from near sea level to up to (Lowry). Several tracks, some along ridges and one into the valley of Butterfly Creek, connect the entrances on the Wellington Harbour side and the entrances on the Wainuiomata side. The southern portion of the park includes the Kohangatera and Kohangapiripiri lakes.

History

Local Māori occupied the area before European settlement, with a network of routes connecting settlements along the eastern harbour coast. Te Atiawa were continuing to visit the area for seasonal fishing and berry-picking when the

New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model focused on the systematic colonisation of New Zealand. The company was formed to carry out the principl ...

began organised European settlement in the region in 1839, and were continuing to occupy the area late into the 19th century.

Days Bay Days Bay is a residential area in Lower Hutt in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is walled on three sides by steep bush-clad slopes. Most of its level land is occupied by Williams Park and an independent boys' prima ...

became popular for picnics and walking from the 1890s. Tracks were built in the area under a

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

work scheme, making the Butterfly Creek picnic area more popular from the 1930s. There were several shipwrecks along the coast, even after the Pencarrow Lighthouse was built in 1906 and

Baring Head Lighthouse Baring Head Lighthouse is a concrete lighthouse at Baring Head in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, with an LED beacon powered by mains electricity. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand, and can be accessed ...

was built in 1925. The area became the base for a proposed regional park in 1973. Volunteers began planting native trees in the park in 2018, and had planted almost 7000 trees by 2021. The plantings include trees along the coast, and

toitoi The common bully (''Gobiomorphus cotidianus''), or toitoi (Māori), is a fish endemic to New Zealand, and is present throughout the country. There are three other bully species that can be confused with common bullies. There are few characterist ...

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

, and ngaio along the

Wainuiomata River The Wainuiomata River runs southwest through the Wainuiomata Valley located in the southern Remutaka Range in the North Island, New Zealand. Origin of name The word ''Wainui-o-Mata'' is a Māori name made up of the elements ''wai'' (water), ...

bank. Wellington Regional Council consulted on the future of the park in 2020, opting reduce stock grazing and increase native bush and wetlands. As of 2021, there were plans to establish overnight accommodation near the Baring Head Lighthouse.

Recreation

The park is used for mountain biking, cycling, walking, running and tramping. There is a 6 kilometre return walk from the coastal carpark to Baring Head Lighthouse. Dogs are permitted on a leash during summer months, but are not permitted lower lighthouse, the Parangarahu Lakes Area or at Baring Head/Orua-pouanui at any time. There is a ban on dogs during the August to October lambing season. Fireworks are prohibited.

References

External links

Greater Wellington Regional Council
{{Protected areas of New Zealand Lower Hutt Wellington Harbour Regional parks of New Zealand Parks in the Wellington Region