Parks and recreation

There are more than 33,000 hectares of parks in Wellington Region just waiting for you to explore.

If your idea of beauty is a remote beach, or a windswept bluff with a lighthouse, you’ll find that. How about lush native bush or wetlands teeming with wildlife? You’ll find that too. There are rivers and ranges, farmland and forests, seabeds and sand dunes, and even film sets.

 COVID-19 update

7 September 2021

At Alert Level 2, we need to minimise the risk of COVID-19 spreading to our staff and visitors. Our Park facilities remain open, including toilets and BBQs, with appropriate cleaning and physical distancing measures in place.

There are no restrictions on camping, motorised recreation, hunting, or other recreational activities such as horse riding. New permits for hunting, horse riding and motorised recreation are open at level 2.

For recreational groups, it is important for you to keep contact tracing records of any activity in Alert Level 2.

To minimise the spread of COVID-19

• Maintain 2m distance from people you don’t know - carefully step aside or slow down to allow separation
• Dogs must be on leads
• Rangers' offices remain closed at level 2
• When using public facilities please wear a mask
• Avoid our worksites – use another open area
• Avoid narrow tracks
• If you have symptoms of COVID-19, or if you are awaiting test results, stay home.
• Wash your hands regularly
• Do not pat other people’s pets

Play it safe – we can maintain many of our everyday activities, but we must do so carefully in order to keep the rest of New Zealand safe.

If you have any questions for us, please call 0800 496 734.

More information on COVID-19

NZ Government COVID-19 website

Ministry of Health information and advice

Ministry of Health: 0800 358 5453

Toitū Te Whenua Parks Network Plan

The Toitū Te Whenua Parks Network Plan is a combined plan for eight of Wellington’s regional parks. Parks included in the plan are Battle Hill, Belmont, East Harbour (including Baring Head/Ōrua-pouanui and Parangarahu Lakes), Queen Elizabeth, Akatarawa and Pakuratahi and Kaitoke. 

Things to do

• Get outdoors: Have a picnic, fly a drone, or go camping, fishing, horse riding, dog walking and feed some eels.
• Join in: Go to an event or get involved through volunteering.
• Be active: Go walking, running and hiking, swimming, mountain biking, hunting, rafting and kayaking, or four wheel driving and trail biking.
• Set the scene: Get married, run an event or make a film.

Need help to "Find your Wild"? See Wellington Regional Trails to find out about trails and what to know before you go.

Find a park that suits you 

Each of the region’s parks offers something special, with different things to do and environments.