Ōrongorongo Track
Wellington · Out & Back
This walk comes from licensed public walk data and is being progressively confirmed against the authorities. Signs on the day always win. DOC’s own wording: “Dogs on a leash only. (DOC, Ōrongorongo Track page.) DOC's Remutaka Forest Park controlled dog area lists the Ōrongorongo Track in its entirety as on-lead, and closes the Turere Stream catchment north of it to dogs to protect released North Island brown kiwi. Signs mark both”. Evidence: a hand-checked correction against the authority. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Keep them on the lead, watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Ōrongorongo Track
Ōrongorongo Track covers 10.0 km, in Wellington, walked as an out-and-back.
Dogs are on a lead here for the whole track, and it is worth knowing why. The Remutaka Forest Park Trust released North Island brown kiwi into the Turere Stream catchment on the northern side of this track, and DOC has closed that catchment to dogs completely, from its headwaters down to the confluence with the Ōrongorongo River. The Ōrongorongo Track itself stays open with a lead, along with the whole of the Catchpool Valley. Signs on the ground mark where the closed ground begins. If you want your dog off the lead, the one spot in the park for it is between the road and Catchpool Stream opposite the visitor centre.
It sits at the moderate end and gains roughly 251 m, pitching up to 33 % at its steepest, and takes about 2.5–3 hr to walk.
Along the way there are native forest, river frontage, and wildlife. Dogs are allowed here, on the lead. Walkers rate it 4.7 / 5 across 247 reviews.
