Rata Ridge Circuit
Lower Hutt · Wellington · Loop
This walk comes from licensed public walk data and is being progressively confirmed against the authorities. Signs on the day always win. The rule-setter’s own wording: “Dogs are welcome in the Northern Forest but must be leashed. No dogs allowed in Baring Head or the Parangarahu Lakes. Greater Wellington's East Harbour Regional Park dog rules map shows the Northern Forest as a single zone with one legend entry, Dogs on leads, and names both the Zigzag Track and the Rata Ridge Track inside it. The northern half of this loop is outside the park on Hutt City ground, where the council's rule is that dogs must be on lead in all public places unless they are specified as a Dog Exercise Area, and no part of this loop is one”. 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 Rata Ridge Circuit
This big track follows 13.0 km as a loop, near Lower Hutt in Wellington.
The loop is two walks stitched together. The southern and western arms climb the Zigzag Track and the Rata Ridge Track into the Northern Forest of East Harbour Regional Park and follow the Main Ridge Track north past Lowry trig. The northern arm drops out of the park down the pylon track and returns through Wainuiomata on Brian Morgan Terrace and Wainuiomata Road, so expect suburban streets at both ends of the forest section.
It sits at the moderate end and gains roughly 466 m, pitching up to 28 % at its steepest, and takes about 4.5–5 hr to walk.
Walkers come for native forest, big views, and town-edge walking. Dogs are allowed here, on the lead. Walkers rate it 4.2 / 5 across 20 reviews.