Wellington: South Coast, Makara & Harbour Bays

Dogs on this trip. Much of Wellington's south coast (Owhiro Bay, Red Rocks) is open ground where a dog can properly run, but keep them close near the Sinclair Head fur-seal colony, where seals haul out year-round and peak May to October, so never let a dog approach them. Oriental Bay and Lyall Bay carry summer daytime beach restrictions (roughly November to March), and dogs are welcome at Makara Peak, a shared mountain-bike park, so hold them in and yield to riders. Remutaka Forest Park (Catchpool/Orongorongo) is managed kiwi habitat needing a DOC dog permit and subject to periodic 1080 operations, so check current alerts, carry water, and keep dogs close on the bush tracks.