Rātā Ridge

About the trail

Rātā Ridge Track is a rewarding walk or mountain bike ride through East Harbour Regional Park’s Northern Forest. As the name suggests, the trail traverses gently along the ridgeline to the valley below.

It's a two-way shared track that starts either from the Wainuiomata Hill car park or the park entrance at the end of Stanley Street, Wainuiomata.

Starting from the Wainuiomata Hill car park

From the Wainuiomata Hill park entrance, follow Main Ridge Track until you reach the Lowry Trig viewpoint at the summit. From here, Rātā Ridge is an easy walk or ride down to Wainuiomata in Lower Hutt. Most of the descent is slow and gradual, but the track is narrow with an uneven surface. As you get closer to Wainuiomata, there is a steep firebreak with a clay surface that can be extremely slippery when wet.

Starting from Stanley Street

From Stanley Street, the shared track zigzags quickly up to an old ridgeline firebreak that continues beyond the junction with Fern Gully Track. From there, the track enters an enchanting beech forest that carries on to Lowry Trig. If you're starting by bike, you may need to carry it uphill as the firebreak is steep, and the clay surface can be extremely slippery when wet.

For a longer walk, you can follow Main Ridge Track (tramping track) towards Days Bay.

Getting there

You can access Rātā Ridge from:

• The Wainuiomata Hill car park, heading along Main Ridge Track, or
• Stanley Street in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt

There are regular bus services to Wainuiomata and the surrounding areas. Timetables are available from Metlink.

Know before you go

Get ready using Plan My Walk by the NZ Mountain Safety Council for track alerts, weather forecasts, trip reviews and a packing list.

For more tips and advice before heading out on Wellington’s trails, check out our before you go section.