Queen Elizabeth Park
http://www.gw.govt.nz/QEP
Queen Elizabeth Park
Mackays Crossing, SH 1
The Mackays Crossing entrance off SH1 gives access to Whareroa Beach and surrounding dunes, picnic areas, walking, cycling and horse riding trails, the Tramway Museum, WWII Marines displays, several wetlands and the kahikatea forest remnant.
For more information about other entrances check the Getting there tab in left hand menu.
Opening hours
8am till dusk
Dogs are welcome in some areas.
Dogs are not permitted on or near farmland.
Please keep your dog on a leash in the picnic areas.
There are some roadworks planned for outside the entrance to Queen Elizabeth Park which will be undertaken by contractors on behalf of NZTA. More information about these roadworks can be found here.
CAUTION
Greater Wellington Regional Council contractors are about start work to remove dangerous Poplar trees from the banks of the Wainui Stream.
From the 2nd to the 24th of June the Wainui stream track will be closed for short periods of time whilst trees are felled and cleared.
For your own safety please adhere to any instructions given to you by our contractor.
We apologise for any inconvenience. For further information, please contact Gary Wheaton at 027 223 7115.
STORM DAMAGE UPDATE - 27/02/2018
Paekakariki:
The wooden bridge was damaged by Cyclone Gita and has been removed. Alternative vehicle access is upstream on Wellington Road.
Extra care must be taken on the Loop Road due to pedestrian traffic. Please be aware of debris in the area.
Whareroa:
The Coastal track from Whareroa beach to the Raumati esplanade entrance is CLOSED due to erosion.
Crews will be busy over the next few months cleaning up and we ask the public to keep out of areas that have been closed and report any additional damage to the Ranger.
Please also be aware that vehicles and machinery could be using any of the tracks at any time.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Notification of intention to conduct aerial gorse, blackberry and lupin spraying at Queen Elizabeth Park. Click here for more information
Fireworks are prohibited in all Regional Parks and Forest areas.
Ramaroa, our new heritage centre at Queen Elizabeth Park
is now open!
Read the full news release.
Queen Elizabeth Park is the last area of natural dunes on Kapiti's coastline. Once part of a swathe of duneland stretching from Paekakariki to Foxton, the park reminds us how the coastline appeared before large-scale human settlement. Greater Wellington Regional Council is working with the community to protect and enhance this environment while providing a great place to enjoy the outdoors.
With its 650 hectares of easy terrain edged by a sandy beach, Queen Elizabeth Park has plenty of space to enjoy swimming, fishing, walking, cycling, horseriding, picnics or group activities.
The park is steeped in history including pa sites at Whareroa and Wainui beaches and evidence of the 20,000 strong US marine camps from World War II The Tramway Museum is situated near the MacKays Crossing entrance, with historic trams running on the 2km line to Whareroa Beach.
Park history
US Marines camp at Mackays Crossing
The coastal setting, plentiful food and central location of what is now Queen Elizabeth Park have long attracted people to the area. Maori have been living here for hundreds of years and there were major settlements at Wainui and Whareroa up until the mid-1800s. Although the land was covered in forest, the numerous waterways were deep enough for canoes to be paddled from Paekakariki to Waikanae.
