Hutt Water Collection Area is a regional park located in

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. Geography The Upper Hutt city centre lies approximately 26 km north-e ...

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 ...

at the southern end of New Zealand's North Island. It is administered 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 under the brand Metlink, environm ...

and is located alongside the larger

Kaitoke Regional Park Kaitoke Regional Park is regional park located at Kaitoke, northeast of Upper Hutt, in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's southern North Island. It is administered by Wellington Regional Council, alongside the adjacent regional park of Hutt Wa ...

. The park covers in the headwaters of Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River at the southern end of the

Tararua Range The Tararua Range, often referred to as the Tararua Ranges or Tararua, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand. The Tararua Range runs northeast–southwest for from near Palmerston North to the upper reaches of ...

. The Kaitohe weir is the largest of Wellington Water's three water supply sources, providing between 40 and 50% of the water supply for the Wellington urban area.

Geography

The landscape is rugged and mountainous, with streams and narrow, steep-sided ridges. Hilltops are extremely exposed to the north-west and the south, with high winds and fog. There can be sudden weather changes, and rivers and streams can rise very rapidly in heavy rain. The park has extensive

silver beech ''Nothofagus menziesii'', commonly known as silver beech ( mi, tawhai, tahina), is a tree of the southern beech family endemic to New Zealand. Its common name probably comes from the fact that its bark is whitish in colour, particularly in younge ...

and

red beech Red beech is a common name applied to several species of trees: *'' Dillenia alata'', native to Northern Australia and New Guinea *'' Fuscospora fusca'', native to New Zealand *''Protorhus longifolia ''Protorhus longifolia'', the red beech, is ...

. The valley floor includes

podocarpaceae Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pr ...

, alpine tussock and sub-alpine sphagnum bog. It includes some of the Wellington Region's southern rātā, and native forest birds like

kākā The New Zealand kākā (''Nestor meridionalis'') is a large species of parrot of the family Nestoridae found in New Zealand's native forests. The species is often known by the abbreviated name kākā, although it shares this name with the rece ...

kākāriki The three species of kākāriki (also spelled ''kakariki'', without the macrons), or New Zealand parakeets, are the most common species of parakeets in the genus ''Cyanoramphus'', family Psittacidae. The birds' Māori name, which is the most comm ...

and kārearea.

History

There is very little evidence of Māori or European use of the land during the 19th century. It was not sold off by 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 ...

in 1840, but part of it may have been sold to private interests during

Kapiti Coast The Kapiti Coast District is a local government district of the Wellington Region in the lower North Island of New Zealand, 50 km north of Wellington City. The district is named after Kapiti Island, a prominent island offshore. The pop ...

land sales before 1860. Private landowners began selling the land to local authorities for water supplies when the Wellington City and Suburban Water Supply Board was established in 1927. A sale was proposed again in 1936, but a sale didn't take place until 20 November 1951 following a change of ownership. An aerial 1080 pest control programme took place in the area in 2019. A further aerial drop was due to take place during winter 2022.

Recreation

The park is open from 6am until dusk. Dogs and fireworks are not permitted at any time. There are tracks for walking, running and tramping in the park: * Kaitoke to Hutt Forks (2 hours), a formed track over the ridge into the catchment. * Hutt Forks - Alpha via Eastern Hutt (5 hours), a marked route from the right bank of the Eastern Hutt River, that later becomes unmarked. * Hutt Forks - Alpha via Quoin Ridge (6 hours), a track from Forks Head north up Quoin Ridge, which requires a map and compass. * Hutt Forks - Renata Hutt via Western Hutt (7 hours), an unmarked track from Hutt Forks up the Western Hutt River. * Hutt Forks - Renata Hut via Maymorn Ridge (6 hours), a partially marked track from Hutt Forks to Maymorn Junction. Hunters with appropriate permits can hunt for deer, pigs and goats throughout the park.

References

{{Protected areas of New Zealand Upper Hutt Regional parks of New Zealand Parks in the Wellington Region