Belmont Regional Park

Highlights: Views, farmland, World War II ammunition bunkers, native bush, Korokoro Dam

Length: 30 min - 4 hours

Where: 40 min from Wellington CBD by car, 5 min from Lower Hutt

What to take: Active wear, camera, water, possibly snacks

A stunning combo of rolling hills, farmland, sea views, native bush and even a bit of history to mix things up, the Belmont Regional Park has a lot to offer.

Getting there: To get to the Hill Road entrance, follow the Hutt Western Motorway out towards Lower Hutt, and hang a left onto Grounsell Cres. From there turn onto Hill Road and follow it as far as you can go to find the carpark.

Beginning with a gradual incline up Hill Road through farmland, the route we took begins with plenty of sheep. However, things got more interesting quickly, as before long, a huge number of WWII ammunition 'magazines' started appearing on the hills, and we even went into the ones next to the track. The track then opens up above Porirua Harbour, giving expansive sea views past Mana Island. Unfortunately we were pushed for time and had to turn back at this point, but there are heaps of other tracks around Belmont Park, and plenty of options depending how long you want to be out and about.

More information about the other tracks and entrances to the park can be found here.