11th September 2021
Location: Top of Wainuiomata Hill by the Lookout, Lower Hutt, Wellington. There is only parking on one side of the road and you are not able to u-turn on the hill. You will need to drive over the hill to Wainuiōmata from Lower Hutt and then use the roundabout to return back up the hill. The carpark is just past the footbridge. The track is on the car park side.
We began from the top of the Wainuiōmata Hill and walked South, over Mt Lowry, on to the Kereru track which took us down to Days Bay where we stopped for lunch. Both the Main Ridge Track and the Kereru track were technically difficult with beautiful beech forests along the ridge. Most of the walk to Days Bay we were scrambling over root systems which the kids loved! (they're so much more nimble than us!)
After a quick bite we walked back up the Ferry Road track (its the first road on your left as you walk along the beach away from Eastbourne), the track starts at the end of Ferry Road. This track meets the Main Ridge Track about half way along. You then return along the same track you walked in on.
We were not expecting just how beautiful the views going up the lower part of the Ferry Road track were. The whole circuit is worth it just for that! The view from Mt Lowry is really disappointing so it was great to have Ferry Road as a surprise.
We were pleased that we walked in the direction which we did because the Kereru track was really steep coming down and the Ferry Road track is a much easier gradient and is also wide and well maintained.
We would recommend this as a great summer track and include ice creams and a swim at Days Bay.
Age of Kids: Miss 6 and Master 9
Walking Time: 5 hours (with a few stops including lunch)
Length: The Main Ridge Track is 5.7 km, the Kereru just under 1 km, Ferry Road is about 1.5 km
Elevation: at the top it just over 350 m.
Type of Track: Single track with a loop in the middle (down Kereru and back up Ferry Road)
Difficulty: While most of the track was moderate going there are parts that are steep and parts that are technical.
Buggy Friendly: No
Amenities: Days Bay has everything you need but there is nothing else along the track. There are a few earlier exists though if things go dire (Check out this map)
Dogs: Yes, it's a great walk for the dogs but they must be on a lead.
Cellphone Reception: We had good cell phone reception a lot of the way
Shoes: We just wore our normal sneakers but could have done with trail runners or tramping boots, especially if it was wet and slippery.
Kids Rating (0-10)
Overall Fun Factor: 8
Legendary Factor: 9
Would we do it again?: 7
Exhaustion Factor: 8
"We really enjoyed the view and spending time at Days Bay. It was really fun climbing up the hill because we could spot a lot and look at the views."