South Ōtaki River Trail

South Ōtaki River Trail covers 3.0 km, near Ōtaki in Wellington.

The south bank half of the Ōtaki River stopbank, and the one most people never find. Start from the car park on the south side of the river beside the old State Highway 1 bridge, drop onto the stopbank and head west. It is flat the whole way, wide, grass and gravel, with the braided river on your right and farmland on your left. Three kilometres out to the gates opposite Katihiku Marae, six kilometres return, about two hours at a walking pace. Kāpiti Coast District Council calls this one the South Ōtaki River Trail on its trails map; Kellie, who sent it in, knows it as the Southbank Walkway, which may be what the signs on the ground say. A dog can walk off the lead here. Schedule Three of the Kāpiti Coast District Council dog bylaw names this exact stretch, old State Highway One west to the locked gates opposite the Katihiku Marae, as a dog off-leash area, and the council's Ōtaki dog access map draws the same line in green. The permission comes with a condition written into the clause itself: the track crosses land leased for grazing, and the council requires the on-leash rules to be observed in those parts. It does not say where the leases begin and end, so the practical rule is simple. If there is stock in the paddock beside you, the lead goes on. The council also requires you to carry a lead at all times in any off-leash area, and to keep the dog in your sight and within call. The gates are the end of the walk, not a suggestion. Beyond them is iwi land, Ngāti Huia ki Katihiku, which the council's own walks brochure names as a place its river trail does not go. Turn around there. The stopbank is shared with horses and with bikes, so an off-lead dog wants a reliable recall, and the river itself is a braided one that comes up fast after rain in the Tararua Range. This is a different walk from the north bank, and the two rules are not the same shape. Across the water, old State Highway One west toward the estuary is also off-leash, and old State Highway One east toward Chrystalls Lagoon is on-leash. The Ōtaki Estuary and river mouth at the far western end is a sensitive site on both banks, on-leash at all times, and the council marks it on-leash restricted, which means the lead goes on and you keep to the formed path.

It sits at the easy end and barely climbs, and takes about 36 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.