Te Ahumairangi Hill Lookout

Highlights: Close to town, views

Length: 40 min - 2 hours

Where: 15 min walk from CBD

What to take: Active wear, camera

An incredibly accessible track, this is Thorndon's answer to the Mount Vic lookout and, if you work in the government end of town, makes for a great lunchtime excursion. While you're in the depths of the track you feel like you are miles away from town, only to be rewarded with outstanding views across the city at regular intervals throughout the journey.

Getting there: The easiest access point to get to is from the top of St Mary St, which is off Tinakori Rd. Simply walk to the top of the street and you will see the track entrance.

The first half of the walk is a quick, winding ascent amongst low scrub, offering great views across the city for most of the way. From the halfway point (pictured above), simply follow the signs to the Te Ahumairangi Lookout. You will notice that there are plenty of other signs and tracks around the hill, all have their own perks and quirks (including a tunnel into the hill!) so it's certainly worth a return trip to explore further. Carrying on on this track though, shortly after the halfway point you enter in below the canopy of trees. At this point, the track takes an upward turn, and it's a pretty brutal ascent to the top. The lookout boasts impressive views across the city and harbour, to the Rimutakas; and, as an additional bonus, has a number of picnic tables to sit at while you catch your breath (or even bring a picnic)! Getting down is simply a matter of following your nose, and will take you significantly less time than the way up.