Wellington: South Coast, Makara & Harbour Bays
Seal coasts, west-wind ridges, harbour bays
Best for Water dogs, coast lovers.
West wind to Red Rocks
- 1
Makara MTB: Koru, Sally Alley, Upswing, Lazy Fern
On-leadWest-wind ridges above Makara Peak; on lead and yield to bikes, big skies, carry water.
- ~3 km drive
- 2
Red Rocks Coastal Walk
On-leadFlat coastal cruise to the Sinclair Head seal colony; off-lead beach early, lead on near seals.
- ~3 km drive
- 3
Parrotdog Bar
Dogs welcome insideDogs welcome inside this Rongotai brewery bar; water bowls and a sunny slab to sprawl on.
- ~4 km drive
- 4
Treasure Island / Kainui Reserve
Fully fenced off-lead runFully fenced Kilbirnie run to burn off zoomies before the drive east to camp.
- ~4 km drive
- 5
Catchpool Valley Campsite
Dogs welcome, check the rulesDOC valley campsite in Remutaka Forest Park; permit plus on-lead, kiwi country, check for 1080.
Orongorongo bush to harbour
- 1
Ōrongorongo Track
On-leadOrongorongo river-valley bush walk with cool swims and shade; on lead for kiwi, check poison alerts.
- ~18 km drive
- 2
Petone Beach Dog Exercise Zone
Dog parkHarbour-edge off-lead beach zone to shake out legs on the drive back to town.
- ~13 km drive
- 3
Oriental Parade Path
On-leadFlat harbour promenade; summer daytime lead rules apply, gentle finish with city swimming spots.
- 4
Lola Stays
Dogs welcome insideDog-friendly inside at Oriental Bay; coffee and a bowl with a straight harbour view.
Trips like this one
Bay of Islands & Kerikeri Coastal Escape
Nearly every walk here is on-lead, only Roland's Wood permits off-lead romping. Bay of Islands beaches (Paihia, Tapeka Point) generally allow dogs under control, but check Far North District Council summer daytime restrictions before letting them near swimmers. Steer clear of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and Puketi's DOC kauri-forest tracks (no dogs, kauri-dieback hygiene), and scan reserve signs for 1080 or rat-bait warnings before any bush walk.
Christchurch & Banks Peninsula: City Parks to Akaroa
Christchurch and Banks Peninsula both sit under the Christchurch City Council dog bylaw: on-lead is the default in parks and on the Port Hills / Summit Road farm tracks (stock and spring lambing hazards), with fully-fenced off-lead romps at The Groynes, Victoria Park and Hagley's dog areas. Right now in July you are inside the winter beach window, so dogs are welcome off-lead on most coastal sand, but that flips to a daytime summer ban (roughly 10am to 7pm, 1 December to end of February), so this is the season to do the coast. On bush tracks like Okuti Valley, Garden of Tāne and the Port Hills reserves, check for 1080 and predator-control poison signs before unclipping and keep dogs off bait lines.
Nelson to Golden Bay
This is a lead-first route: dogs are banned outright on every track and beach inside Abel Tasman National Park, so Marahau is as close as they get, never cross the park boundary. Nelson and Golden Bay beaches (Tahunanui Back Beach, Pohara) run summer daytime dog bans and on-lead windows under the Nelson City and Tasman District bylaws, so walk early or late over Dec–Feb and read the current signage. On the Motueka estuary lead up for nesting shorebirds, and check DOC alerts for 1080 or pindone poison operations before any bush track.