Karapoti Gorge is one of the entrances into the Akatarawa Forest, a regional park 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 ...
in New Zealand. The
Akatarawa River
The Akatarawa River is a river in the lower North Island of New Zealand.
It is a short river, flowing south for through small rocky gorges and the Akatarawa Valley before joining the Hutt River at Birchville, a suburb in the northern end of U ...
West runs through this narrow, mostly bush-clad
gorge
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
towards the
Akatarawa Valley
The Akatarawa Valley is a valley in the Tararua Range of New Zealand's North Island. It provides a link from the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley to Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast through rugged hill country. The valley is lowly populated and con ...
. A narrow road winds its way along the steep slopes, providing access for trail biking, mountain biking and walking. Karapoti Gorge is also the starting leg of the annual
Karapoti Classic
The Karapoti Classic is New Zealand's longest-running annual mountain bike event, started in 1986 by Paul Kennett. The full course is long and starts in Karapoti Park, Akatarawa, in Upper Hutt, and heads up the Karapoti Gorge. From there it be ...
mountain bike event, which runs on the network of tracks in the Akatarawa Forest.
Rock formations of the Wellington Region
Canyons and gorges of New Zealand
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