This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper in August 2001
Takapu Road - Outer Town Belt - Korokoro Stream
11 February 2001
In March 2000, Wellington City Council acquired from Transpower 79 hectares between Grenada North and Horokiwi Road. No money changed hands, and Transpower retains right of access to service the pylons and transmission lines. An excellent deal for trampers because it is a direct link from Wellington to Belmont Regional Park!! It is now part of the Outer Town Belt and includes a deeply-incised, bush-clad gully and reverting pasture.
Our trip began at Takapu Road Station and Willowbank Park, at the forks of Porirua and Takapu Streams. We climbed the zigzag to Grenada North and its sports fields, then passed the tag wargames site. From the pylon access road, and the spur above, we admired the gully near us, and views to Colonial Knob and Kapiti.
After walking north along Horokiwi Road, past Magee (373m), enjoying views all round, including the South Island and Belmont (457m), spoilt only by a two-storey house on a knob, and a clutter of railway wagons, we descended Horokiwi Bridleway in Belmont Regional Park.
The True Right branch of Korokoro Stream is an attractive blend of creek, bluffs, bush and reverting pasture, and provided us with a good lunch spot at Baked Beans Bend. Our 43-strong party, plus 15 Guides on a Duke of Edinburgh course, made it buzz with chatter and laughter.
At Korokoro Forks we split into two groups. Anne Morrison led 13 down the valley to Cornish Street, Petone. Thirty of us went via Korokoro Dam and the Oakleigh Street entrance to the park, a lovely route, then through Maungaraki to the end of Acacia Avenue. Here, a few metres along a dirt road is a flight of steps in attractive Holdaway Scenic Reserve. We walked the track in regenerating forest near Sugarloaf and down to George Gee Road.
From nearby Te Whiti Grove we crossed a small park to the track leading into Galbraiths Gully. Little wonder that Rosemary described this beautiful valley as "special". And what a surprise it was for those new to it to find that it emerged on Korokoro Road 100m from SH2!! Then a few minutes later the happy band were on the train home from Petone.
Our thanks to Barbara Mitcalfe for help with the recce, Kate Lang/WCC and Kelly Crandle/HCC for cadastral information, and Syd Moore, John Dement and Mike Bartlett for information about tracks on the Western Hutt hills.
Participants: Rod and Trish Ashcroft, Rosemary Ballantine-Scott, Diana Barnes, Kaye Bentley, Leslie Blackwell, Mark Casey, Paul Cornish, Bob Cyffers, Bill Edwards, Jane Furkert, Ann Holdsworth, Chris Horne (leader/scribe), Peter Lapsley, Stephen Learmonth, Janet McMenamin, Anthony McNamara, Susie MacVicar, Ray Markham, Liz Martin, Bernard Molloy, Jocelyn Montin, Ann Morrison, Liz Morrison, Ken Mosley, John Pearce, Lynne Pomare, Jenny Rattenbury, Pat Reesby, John Robson, Rose Russell, Peter Shanahan, Hugh Slocombe, Pip Smith, Karen Stanway, Erica Steele, Thomas Subritzsky, Lyn Taylor, Heidi and John Thompson, Tricia Walbridge, Jude Willis, Deidre Young.