Te Ahi Ka Loop Track
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: “Manawa Karioi Society runs this reserve and sets the dog rule on it, and their own page opens: "We welcome dogs and dog walkers to Manawa Karioi. It is a great place to walk your dog and explore our great networks of tracks." On leads they are plain: "We don't expect you to keep your dog on a lead, but we do ask that you are in control of your dog. if you are not in control of your dog, he/she is better on a lead." The lead does go on in one place: "Please keep your dog on a lead when walking through the Tapu te Ranga Marae carpark, the driveway or near any of the buildings." On mess: "Please clean up your dog poo, we have some poo bags available on the reserve attached to the interpretation sign in the carpark, but we have no rubbish bins provided so you will need to take it away with you." Herenga a Nuku, the New Zealand Walking Access Commission, lists the track on the public access register as Dog Friendly, maintained by the Manawa Karioi Ecological Restoration Project, with the condition "Dogs should be under control; please keep on a lead near marae buildings and their surrounds. Remove dog litter". The land is Tapu te Ranga Trust land, not council reserve, and the Society says it is "run by the Manawa Karioi Society (a registered charitable trust) with the full support of Tapu te Ranga Marae". Wellington City Council's Dog Policy 2024 and Animal Bylaw 2024 do not name this land at all”. Evidence: a hand-checked correction against the authority. 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 Te Ahi Ka Loop Track
Te Ahi Ka Loop Track covers 1.9 km, in Wellington, walked as a loop.
Kellie and Jack sent the reserve's own dog page, and it is more generous than most: the Society does not ask for a lead on the tracks, only that you have your dog under control, and on the lead where the track passes the Tapu te Ranga Marae carpark, driveway and buildings. Te Ahi Ka is the big loop, about 1.9 km with 70 m of climb, and it takes in most of the reserve. One thing to walk in knowing: this is an active restoration project with traps and bait stations through the bush. The Society's own trapping notes say the stations hold toxic bait and that the team clears catches from traps to "minimise the chance of secondary poisoning of dogs and predatory birds", so keep your dog out of the bait lines and off anything dead. The Society also asks people to keep to the tracks and clearings on the map, and they would love a photo of you and your dog for their website.
Graded easy, it climbs about 72 m overall, pitching up to 18 % at its steepest, and takes about 0.5–1 hr to walk.
Walkers come for native forest, big views, wildflowers, and wildlife. Dogs are welcome here. Walkers rate it 4.4 / 5 across 34 reviews.
