East Harbour Regional Park

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East Harbour Regional Park is a contrast of native forest and rocky coastline, providing a magnificent backdrop to Wellington Harbour. Greater Wellington manages the park which includes land owned by Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Taranaki Whanui and the Crown.

There are two distinct areas. To the north, the hills between Eastbourne and Wainuiomata are clothed in some of the best beech/rata forest in the Wellington area. In contrast, the damp valley floors contain lush semi-swamp forest including kahikatea, pukatea and nikau palms.

To the south, the Parangarahu Lakes Area provides sweeping views and diverse geological features. It cradles the nationally significant freshwater wetlands of Kohangatera and Kohangapiripiri and is home to a wealth of native plants and wildlife.

The pest plant Canadian pondweed (Elodea canadensis) has been found in Lake Kohangatera (part of the Parangarahu Lakes Area), and Brazilian Waterweed (Egeria densa) has been found in the uppermost reaches of Gollans Swamp upstream of the lakes. We have created an exclusion zones around the infestations. This will not affect walking and cycling access along the tracks of the Parangarahu Lakes Area. Click here for more information and a map of the exclusion zones.