Colonial Knob Walkway (Te Araroa)

Average rating: 5
  • Walking
  • Dog Friendly
Difficulty
Medium
Length
22.7 km
Journey Time
6 hours
Region
Wellington/Kapiti
Sub-Regions
PoriruaWellington City
Part of Collections
Te Araroa - New Zealand's TrailTe Araroa - North Island
Track maintained by
Te Araroa Trail Trust

Te Araroa section: Few capital cities offer walks with such spectacular views as this section from Porirua to Wellington's suburb of Ngaio (or Johnsonville or Khandallah). On a clear day, the views stretch up to Mt Taranaki in the north, across to the South Island’s Kaikōura Ranges and Marlborough Sounds, and embrace the city’s attractive harbour and hillside suburbs. There is easy accessibility to the start and endpoints for the 21km walk.

Porirua to Elsdon - 3km / 45 minutes

From Station Road (adjacent to Porirua Railway Station), cross Lyttelton Avenue at the pedestrian crossing and turn right.

On the northern edge of New World Supermarket car park, turn left onto the pathway. Follow the path to the city centre uncovered carpark.

Cross the carpark and cross the pedestrian crossing on Hagley Street and turn left.

Cross Tītahi Bay Road at the crossing.

Immediately cross Hagley Street again towards the south.

Follow the Raiha Walkway on the concrete path along the grass verge.

Continue along the walkway through to Raiha Street.

Exit to the right. Walk 200-300m to Colonial Knob Walkway car park on the left (past Elsdon Camp). 

Elsdon to Colonial Knob - 4km / 1 hour

Follow the marked track up Colonial Knob.

Colonial Knob to Mt Kaukau - 14km / 4¼ hours

Follow markers down the other side (blue) to the edge of Spicer Forest.

Cross stile turn right, and follow the fenceline on the edge of the forest.

Turn left into the forest, following yellow circles through the forest and down to the valley floor.

Exit through the gate and turn left into Ōhariu Valley Road.

Walk along the road (approx 5kms) to the crossroads. Straight through crossroads to Rifle Range Road to end. Enter Old Coach Road. (Optional exit into Johnsonville at Truscott Avenue.)

Continue along the marked track towards television the mast on Mt Kaukau. (Optional exit down to Woodmancoate Road, Khandallah).

Bells Track

From Mt Kaukau viewing platform, head west along the Skyline Track. In 30 minutes, turn sharp left (south) down steep Bell's Track to Awarua Street for approximately 1km.

Conditions

Potential Hazards

  • Vehicles on road or track take plenty of care along Ohariu Valley Road - it is narrow and twisting
  • Farming operations - Go around cattle and take extra care at calving/lambing
  • Forestry operations in Spicer Forest (occasional)
  • Track exposed to sun, wind or cold along the tops
  • Weather extremes along the tops
  • Few water sources along the tops
  • Cellphone Coverage - Good coverage apart from Ōhariu Valley Road, Rifle Range Road and Old Coach Road.

Dogs on leash only allowed in the Northern Walkway sections. Other sections of the walkway are not suitable for dogs as they go through private farm land.

How to get here

Northern Start: Station Road, Porirua
Southern End: Mt Kaukau/Bells Track, Wellington

Transport

Accommodation

Food And Supply

Track Elevation and Map

More information

Te Araroa Wellington trail notes, including information about accommodation, transport and resupplying

Before starting Te Araroa either as a through-walker of the whole country or a section walker, please register on Te Araroa website. Please also visit the website or download the app for detailed maps, trail alerts and other relevant information.


We encourage you to continue gaining the skills and knowledge required for a safe trip. The NZ Mountain Safety Council has lots of free resources and information you can use. These can be accessed via www.mountainsafety.org.nz.

We recommend trying these online learning tools:

Additionally, check out the range of helpful videos available from the NZ Mountain Safety Council YouTube channel.

Mountain Safety Council Plan My Trip
Page last updated: Mar 4, 2024, 3:51 PM