Akatarawa Forest
http://www.gw.govt.nz/akatarawa
Karapoti Road, Akatarawa, Upper Hutt, 5372
Turn off State Highway 2 at Akatarawa Rd towards Waikanae and follow for 6km. Turn left onto Karapoti Road and follow this to the park entrance.
For more information about other entrances check the Getting there tab in left hand menu.
Opening hours
Daily from 8am until dusk
Dogs are welcome. Please keep them under control and remove droppings. Dogs are not permitted, on the southern portion (Tulsa Park and Zig Zag entrance) of the Cannon Point Walkway as it crosses private land.
Fireworks are prohibited in all Regional Parks and Forest areas.
We are currently at Alert Level 1. In order to recover from the effects of COVID-19 in our community, it is important to:
If you have any questions for us, please call 0800 496 734.
We are undertaking an aerial possum control operation in the Akatarawa Forest, using the biodegradable pesticide, sodium fluoroacetate (1080). Weather dependent, non-toxic pre-feed baiting is now expected early March 2021, with toxic baiting expected approximately 7-10 days following pre-feed.
This may affect some park activities such as hunting, horse riding or motorised recreation. You will be notified about this if you hold a permit for one of these activities.
For more information on this predator control operation, or others in our region, head to our 1080 operations page or read the fact sheet.
Covering 15,000 hectares of wilderness area between Upper Hutt and the Kapiti Coast, Akatarawa Forest is a rugged blend of native and exotic forest. Mountain, quad and trail bikers find a variety of gentle and challenging routes along the tracks and old logging roads. Popular for horse riding, fishing, hunting and tramping, the Akatarawa Forest provides enjoyable and testing terrain for 4WD-vehicle club trips. It is the home to the Karapoti Classic mountain bike race featuring the legendary Karapoti Gorge.
Things to do