Rimutaka Rail Trail

Running from Kaitoke to Summit, the Rimutaka Rail Trail links with the DOC-managed Incline down to Cross Creek in the Wairarapa. A gently graded 18 km walk or mountain bike ride, the Trail features restored railway bridges and historic tunnels (take a torch). Enjoy swimming and fishing in the nearby Pakuratahi River and picnic or camp in the pleasant surrounds of Ladle Bend and Summit.

How to get there

Turn off SH2, 9km north of Upper Hutt. The carpark is 1km along a metal road.

Getting back from Cross Creek

Wairarapa Coachlines can help get you home again. If you drop your car at the Cross Creek carpark they will take you back to Kaitoke to bike or walk the Rail Trail at your own pace. No minimum numbers.

Bikes on Wairarapa trains

It is a 10km cycle from the Cross Creek carpark along flat roads to Featherston Station. Allow up to 45 minutes as there is often a headwind to overcome.

On weekdays the first three trains into Wellington and the last three out are the peak commuter services. Groups with bicycles should use the off-peak services if at all possible. Note that non-standard bikes such as tandems or bikes with trailers are more difficult to accommodate.

If you are travelling as a group, Tranz Metro can increase bicycle carrying capacity but you need to book in advance. Book with Tranz Metro by phoning 04 498 3103 and they will advise the fee (including any extra for bikes) dependant on the group size and needs and can advise the best times to travel. There is no additional fee for using the group booking service.

Walking and biking


	Leaving Summit tunnel

Running 18km from Kaitoke to Cross Creek, the Rimutaka Rail Trail is a popular recreation route used by more than 30,000 walkers, runners and cyclists each year. It takes up to three hours to walk or an hour for a family mountain bike ride (one way). Expect an easy gradient with a fine gravel surface.

Greater Wellington manages the section from Kaitoke to Summit.

Points of interest include:

Munitions Bend bridge - Greater Wellington and the Silverstream Railway Trust installed a footbridge with rails and sleepers running alongside it in 2003
Pakuratahi Tunnel - built in 1876 and 73m long, this was the first concrete block structure in New Zealand
Rimutaka Tunnel ventilation shaft - 1955; 2.7m diameter and 116m deep
Pakuratahi Bridge - 1876; 28m long, this is a "Howe" truss bridge. It is the oldest truss bridge in New Zealand, and was rebuilt in 1910 after a fire. Greater Wellington restored the bridge in 2001.
Ladle Bend Creek Bridge - 1875; 70m long; this is New Zealand's second oldest simple beam (understrutted) bridge. It has stone abutments and a central pier. Greater Wellington restored this bridge in 2002.
Summit Yards - this was the site of 5 cottages, a signal box, water tank, ashpit, turntable (1943) and old locomotive remnants (not from "Fell" engines). Since 2000 there has been significant landscaping and planting work carried out in this area.
Summit Tunnel - dating from 1877, this is 576m long, and was resurfaced together with the rest of the Rail Trail in 1999. The 1 in 15 gradient used for the Fell engines started part way through this tunnel.

More experienced mountain bikers may explore several forestry roads between Ladle Bend and Summit. Take care as some tracks are steep and overgrown.

The side road near the kart track leads uphill to the airstrip and Goat Rock (579m). Follow the logging road west to link through to Tunnel Gully Recreation Area.

Rimutaka Incline

South of Summit, the Rimutaka Rail Trail includes the famous "Incline" to Cross Creek, 10km from Featherston. This steeper (1 in 15 grade) section is managed by the Department of Conservation as part of the Rimutaka Forest Park.

It takes about one and a half hours to walk the 5km from Summit to Cross Creek (one way). Allow another 30 minutes to reach the car park at the end of Cross Creek Road (off Western Lake Rd).

Mountain bikers should take under half an hour to get from Summit to Cross Creek. You will need to dismount to walk through "Siberia" gully. The track from Cross Creek to the carpark will take around 15-30 minutes as it is narrow and rutted in places. Watch out for walkers.

Points of interest include:

Siberia tunnel -1878, 108m long
Horsehoe "Siberia" gully - A large earth embankment on a sweeping 100m radius curve filled the gully from 1876 to 1967 when it collapsed in a massive washout. The concrete intake shaft installed to collect and divert the stream remains standing in the gully.
Price's Tunnel - 1875-76. 98m long, this has a 1 in 15 grade on an "S" curve
Cross Creek Station - A registered Historic Site, this was once occupied by several cottages, a hall, school, library, locomotive depot and a turntable.

Following your trip you may like to visit Featherston's Fell Museum which houses the rebuilt H 199 - the only remaining Fell engine from the six that serviced the Rimutaka Incline for 77 years.