Recreation

The Council is working to enhance and extend the track network through Wellington's Town Belts and reserves.

Walkways

The Town Belt and Outer Green Belt are strewn with walking tracks. The Council maintains just under 100 km of tracks, which are open to walkers, runners and mountain bikers / cyclists unless declared closed for a specific purpose.

Some of these make up Wellington's main walkways and are signposted. Others such as on Mount Victoria are not part of structured routes.

The most popular destinations within the Town Belts are the Botanic Garden, Otari-Wilton's Bush, Karori Sanctuary and Makara Peak.

Also popular are sections of the Outer Green Belt's main ridge, like Johnston's Hill and Mt Kaukau.

Walkways

Mt Victoria Orienteering Course

An orienteering course has been established in the Mt Victoria Town Belt. Described as a cross between chess and trail running, orienteering participants use a map and compass to find their way through a cross-country style course.

Maps of the Mt Victoria course can be downloaded on the Wellington Orienteering Club website.

Wellington Orienteering Club website

Mountain Biking

Mountain biking in Makara

Popular areas for mountain biking include:

Mt Victoria
most of the Southern Walkway
Te Kopahou Reserve
firebreaks around Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
Skyline Walkway from Karori to Johnsonville
Wrights Hill.

Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park

A community initiative supported by the Council, the park has more than 30 km of tracks and is recognised as one of the country's best mountain biking areas.

Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park website

Because Wellington's tracks are used by many people, the Council supports the Mountain Bike NZ Code of Conduct.

Code of Conduct - Mountain Bike NZ website

New Mountain Bike Tracks

With Council support, volunteers are building two new tracks. The tracks will link Ashton Fitchett Drive in Brooklyn to:

Polhill Gully and Aro Street
George Denton Park.

The new Polhill Gully track is designed for bike use, while walkers can use the current track (although walkers will be able to use the new bike track if they want to). The new track to George Denton Park will be for mountain bikers and walkers.

Work started on the Polhill Gully track at the end of August 2009 and is expected to take more than a year. Until this work is finished the area is closed to bikers.