Peatland Loop
Raumati South · Wellington · Loop
This walk was suggested by the community and checked against the authority quoted above before it was published. The route line comes from official track data. The rule-setter’s own wording: “Greater Wellington Regional Council, Queen Elizabeth Park, dog walking panel, read 29 August 2026: “Dogs are welcome in all parts of the park, except for the Te Ara o Tipapa Loop and Dune Swamp Loop. While dogs are not required to be on a lead, please keep them under control and pick up after them at all times.” This track is neither of the two exclusions, so dogs are welcome here and off lead is allowed under control. One caution on the source itself: the Know before you go panel further up the same page names only Te Ara o Tipapa, and the 2026 park brochure also names only Te Ara o Tipapa. Two of the three are silent on the Dune Swamp Loop, so we treat Dune Swamp as no dogs until the council reconciles its own pages”. Evidence: the rule-setter’s own published wording. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Peatland Loop
Near Raumati South in Wellington, Peatland Loop runs 2.5 km as a loop.
A flat grass loop through the old farmland in the quiet eastern corner of Queen Elizabeth Park, hanging off the southern end of the Peatland Ridge Track and closing again at Kanuka Track. Greater Wellington calls it 2.2 km and forty minutes; our line measures 2.6 km, so give it the best part of an hour at dog pace. The council's own word for it is remote, and for a park this close to the Kapiti Coast that is about right. There are no sealed surfaces, no signposted attractions and very few people. It is grass the whole way, which means soft and slow after rain and lovely in a dry spell. The peat restoration work here is ongoing, so expect the planting and the fence lines to look different year to year. Dogs are welcome off lead under control. Greater Wellington's rule for the whole park is that dogs may go anywhere except the Te Ara o Tipapa Loop and the Dune Swamp Loop, on or off the lead, provided you keep them under control and pick up. Two things to watch on this particular loop: it is popular with horse riders, being better suited to a horse than a bike, and the railway line runs close along its eastern side, so keep your dog with you on that stretch. Easiest start is the Mackays Crossing entrance, then Te Ara o Whareroa north and the Kanuka Track link, which is a 500 m connector into this part of the park.
Expect easy going, with around 13 m of climb, and takes about 31 min to walk.
Dogs are welcome here. This walk is on the map because Kellie & Jack suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.