22nd May 2021
Location: Oakleigh St via Dowse Drive, Maungaraki, Lower Hutt
This walk is a popular loop track within the Belmont Regional Park. We started at Oakleigh Street with a short walk down to Korokoro Dam (the left entrance from the carpark), once we'd finished admiring the dam we continued along the track, following the creek towards the bottom of Korokoro until we reached Baked Beans Bend (the turnoff is well sign posted). This is where the climb up to the trig starts. It is a bit of a climb and even Miss 6 was getting a bit sick of it (which isn't like her) by the time we finally popped out above the tree line. We were not disappointed by the view - rewarded with a panoramic view of Wellington from Kaikoura to the Tararua ranges.
Once we reached the trig we walked down to the 4x4 track, the path down isn't particularly obvious - you need to climb over a fence.
Once you reach the 4x4 track, follow it down until you see the Oakleigh Street turnoff on your right (if you miss it you'll end up on Stratton Street).
The track then turns back into a bushwalk, with a few small stream crossings and one final boost back up to Oakleigh Street.
An absolutely fabulous walk, quite challenging but full of variety from native forests to hilltop views and farmland.
There's a good map here:
https://www.walkingaccess.govt.nz/track/belmont-trig-track
Age of Kids: 6yrs and 9yrs
Walking Time: 4 hours (this includes all our stops)
Length: 10km
Elevation: 506m
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Amenities: No Amenities
Buggy Friendly : No
Dogs: Yes - but you need to keep them leashed as you cross farmland
To Be Aware Of: It's really exposed up the top so definitely bring warm layers. Ideally only go on a lovely day!
We brought lots of food and water (as usual) and were glad we did as needed a few snackage stops on the way up.