Te Ara o Whareroa Loop Track
Paraparaumu · 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: “Greater Wellington Regional Council, Queen Elizabeth Park: "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." Greater Wellington runs Queen Elizabeth Park and Kāpiti Coast District Council has written the park out of its own dog bylaw, so GWRC is the only authority on this ground. This loop runs on Te Ara o Whareroa, the 6 km sealed shared trail from Poplar Avenue in Raumati South through the park to Tilley Road in Paekākāriki, and returns on the inland and coastal tracks. None of that is one of the two excluded loops, so a lead is not required anywhere on this line. It is shared with cyclists and horses for its whole length, and the park runs stock, so under control is the part that matters. One stretch is not Greater Wellington's to rule on. At the Paekākāriki end, Kāpiti Coast District Council maps the Tilley Road park approach as on lead all year, and that is about 485 m of this loop, so put the lead back on for the last bit into Tilley Road”. 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 Ara o Whareroa Loop Track
Te Ara o Whareroa Loop Track is a loop of 12.6 km, near Paraparaumu in Wellington.
Two names to get right before you go. The trail is Te Ara o Whareroa, not Te Aro: the licensed walk data we build from had the vowel wrong and a member caught it. And Whareroa Farm, across State Highway 1 at Mackays Crossing, is a different property managed by DOC where dogs are not allowed at all. Inside the park the only closed tracks are the Te Ara o Tipapa Loop and the Dune Swamp Loop, both on the Mackays Crossing side, and the park map marks them.
Graded moderate, it climbs about 65 m overall, pitching up to 8 % at its steepest, and takes about 2.5–3 hr to walk.
Walkers come for beach walking, native forest, big views, and historic sites. Dogs are welcome here. Walkers rate it 4.6 / 5 across 40 reviews.
