Wainuiomata Regional Park is a regional park located near

Wainuiomata Wainuiomata () is a large suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. Origin of name The word 'Wainui-o-mata' is a Māori name made up of the words Wai = water, Nui = big, O = of, and Mata – which could refer ...

Lower Hutt 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 p ...

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. 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 in the Wellington Region, public ...

. The name of the park was changed from Wainuiomata Recreation Area to Wainuiomata Regional Park in January 2022. There are

kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also refe ...

living in the reserve.

Geography

The Wainuiomata Regional Park is adjacent to one the largest areas of lowland native forests in the lower North Island. It adjoins the

Wainuiomata Water Collection Area Wainuiomata Water Collection Area is a regional park located near Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt in the Wellington Region at the southern end of New Zealand's North Island. It is administered by Wellington Regional Council, for exclusive use by Wellingt ...

and

Remutaka Forest Park Remutaka Forest Park (spelled Rimutaka Forest Park prior to 2017) is a protected area near Wellington, New Zealand. Popular access points are south of Wainuiomata and in the upper Hutt Valley. The park covers , encompassing the Catchpool Valley ...

History

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

used the hills and valleys of the area to travel between

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

and Wellington Harbour. In the mid-19th century, the Sinclair family and other European settlers logged the lower valley for timber, including the site of the current regional park. Wellington Regional Council consulted on the future of the park in 2020.

Water collection area

In the 1880s, an earth dam and pipeline was established to collect fresh water from the

and Ōrongorongo Rivers. There are still remnants of the old logging tramways and old dam construction camp sites in the park. The rivers now provide about 15% of the region's drinking water. A geological survey route was built in the 1970s, to investigate rock structures and the possibility of damning the Wainuiomata River. It is now open to the public as the Tana Umaga Track. At the eastern edge of the reserve is a water museum and the Lower Dam. This area was flooded in 2007 to create a wetland.

Native plant nursery

A native plant nursery was opened in the park in August 2021. The nursery was built and is operated by volunteers from

Forest & Bird Forest & Bird ( mi, Te Reo o te Taiao), also known by its formal name as the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, is an environmental organisation specialising in the protection and conservation of New Zealand's indigenous f ...

New Zealand, as project partners with Greater Wellington Regional Council. It can hold up to 12,000 seedlings of native species, including

rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The Māori name ''rimu'' comes from the Polynesian ...

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori) and white pine, is a coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand. A podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining heights of 60 m and a life span of 600 years. It was firs ...

, miro, matai,

rewarewa ''Knightia excelsa'', commonly called rewarewa (from Māori), is an evergreen tree endemic to the low elevation and valley forests of New Zealand's North Island and Marlborough Sounds (41° S) and the type species for the genus ''Knightia''. ...

, coprosma, and carex.

Recreation

The park includes a swimming spot and a range of walking tracks, featuring a swingbridge and footbridge. There are two tracks which are suitable for a range of walkers, including parents with baby buggies: * Lower Dam Walk (1 hour 20 minutes return), a track suitable for mountain bikers, cyclists, walkers and baby buggies which is also used by heavy vehicles * Gums Loop Track (1 hour return), a track through gum trees, old dam construction houses and regenerating bush, crossing the river by a footbridge and a swingbridge There are also three other tracks for walkers: * Nikau Creek Track (1 hour return), a track upstream alongside the Nikau Creek, returning the same way * Sledge Track (1 hour 30 mins return), a track through native bush, a flat planting site, a historic logging track and regenerating forest beside to the Sledge Track Creek, to a viewpoint across the Wainuiomata Valley, and then looping back * Tana Umaga Track (1 hour 40 mins), a track with views of the Lower Dam and the upper Wainuiomata River valley The park is open from 6am to 6pm during winter, and from 6am to 8pm during summer.

References

External links

Wainuiomata Regional Park brochure
{{Protected areas of New Zealand Lower Hutt Regional parks of New Zealand Parks in the Wellington Region