The Hutt River is a steep alluvial river that starts from the Tararua Ranges and enters Wellington Harbour at Petone. It flows through the mountainous terrain of southern Tararua and western Remutaka Ranges with several streams and rivers from the Eastern and Western Hutt hills joining with it on the journey.

The catchment is spread over 655 square kilometres, nearly seven times the area of Wellington Harbour. The 56-kilometre long Hutt River has a history of flooding with four main tributaries – Akatarawa, Mangaroa, Pakuratahi and Whakatiki. A storm in any part of the catchment could result in flooding. It takes only seven hours for heavy rain at the top of the catchment to turn into floodwaters at the Hutt River mouth.

Updated December 1, 2023 at 12:50 PM

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