Quick Info
- A large, flat grassy area
- Bush all around
- About 5 or 10 minutes walk from the end of the road
- Many spaces where Wright’s Hill Road ends.
Table of Contents
Access for wheelchairs, and pushchairs
- There is a gently sloping path to the top of the hill. From there to the Parade Ground area is a wide, unsurfaced path used by maintenance vehicles.
Facilities
- Rubbish bin: yes — at the main entrance to the Reserve, by the road.
- Toilets: no
- Seats: no. There are seats at the top of the hill, but not by the off-leash area.
- Lighting at night: no.
Description
Wright’s Hill Parade Ground off-leash area is off Wright’s Hill Road, Karori, in Wellington, New Zealand. It’s in the Reserve, about a 5 or 10 minute walk from the road’s end.
Wrights Hill Parade Ground off-leash area.
The Wright’s Hill off-leash area is inside the Wright’s Hill Reserve.
It’s a large, flat grassy area, probably around 100 metres by around 80 metres. During World War 2 the current off-leash areas was a military Parade Ground.
This is a quiet, somewhat isolated place with loads of space for dogs to run and play. There is bush all around, and several tracks lead off to other parts of the Reserve. Some abandoned military buildings are around nearby.
The day we visited to write this review, even our dogs had to concede defeat in their attempt to eat all the rabbit poop.
From the off-leash area itself there are few views, though you can see across to the Radar Station at the top of Hawkins Hill. But as you walk to the off-leash area from Wright’s Hill Road there are all sorts of spectacular views across and all around Wellington, including views of the Harbour, Project West Wind wind farm, Karori Sanctuary, the South Coast.
Plus there are the interesting remnants of the gun emplacements and associated buildings. Read about Wrights Hill Fortress.
There’s a lookout point at the top of the hill, with stunning views across the harbour and towards Hutt Valley, as in the panoramic photo above. We visited on a dull and cloudy day.
This is area #25 on the City Council map: Wright’s Hill parade ground area (93Kb PDF).
Comment
There are a few Open Days each year, where you could expect large numbers of visitors wanting to view the military installation. It would be reasonable for dogs to be required to be on-leash on those days. Otherwise this whole Reserve is an ideal area where Wellingtonians should be able to walk with their dogs off-leash.
Terrain
- A large off-leash area
- Grassy
- Flat
- Water: no.
- Surrounded by regenerating bush.
Delights
- Views.
- Greenery
- Quiet
- Spacious
Dangers
- There are no poison warning signs specifically in this area, but there are signs further down the road.
Cautions
- Rabbit poop.
- There are many tracks around the area — it could be hard to find a dog that runs off.
Road access
Follow Campbell Street in Karori to almost the end, then turn right onto Wright’s Hill Road. Drive to the end of Wright’s Hill Road and park. Walk a few minutes to the gun emplacement and lookout at the top of the hill, then follow the track / road to the right. To reach the gun emplacement either take the gently sloping path or the steps.
At the signpost suggesting you enter a grassy track for the Parade Ground either choose the track or simply continue along the road.
If you follow the road keep bearing left. After a while a signpost shows another left turn. After a few minutes walk you reach the Parade Ground.
If instead you choose the grassy track, watch out as it’s narrow, rutted and steep in places. It can be muddy and slippery. The track is also obviously used by mountain bikes. At the end of the track, turn right to reach the Parade Ground.
There are many tracks and paths on Wright’s Hill. If you can suggest alternate routes, please leave a comment below.
See page 2 of this post for a photo album.
Location (see the map)
- Latitude: -41° 17′ 59.10″ (-41.29975)
- Longitude: +174° 44′ 13.09″ (174.736969)
Map
See [Wright's Hill on Google Maps.]