It was a perfect day for trying out the recently opened Te Ara Tupua Walkway. We caught the train from Upper Hutt and got off at Ngauranga. The signage was a little unclear, but we just followed our noses and saw where the overbridge started.

What a treat this 4.5 km walkway is! It took our group nearly 2 hours to walk this distance just because there was so much to take in, carvings, information boards and great views. It was so fascinating the road noise didn’t really worry us. There was so much history with early Māori Pa’s utilising beaches that the earthquake of 1855 measuring a magnitude of 8.2 destroyed them. The second largest earthquake in New Zealand history.

We reached the end now named Honiana Te Puni Reserve and had a morning tea break. From there we walked along the beachfront as far as The Settlers Museum and turned up Buick St. From here we made our way through a couple of parks to Mitre 10 for a coffee and for some, lunch. When we came out 45 minutes later, the weather had turned, but it was only a 10-minute walk to Ava Station and home on the train. It had been a really good walk and definitely one to be repeated.

Leader – Judith

Walkers – Lesley, Trisha, Sheila, Stephanie, Kathy, Anna, Denise, Angela, Shirley, Helena, Brett, and Nicky (not in photo)