Cooks Road

Akatarawa Forest, Wellington, New Zealand

Entry to the Akatarawa Forest off Bulls Run Road.

Intermediate

Bike and Foot

From Bulls Run Road the track starts with a bridge over a stream. You'll soon encounter a gate with barbed wire along the top. The Greater Wellington Regional Council lists Cooks Road as an official entrance to the Akatarawa Forest, so it is unclear why the barbed wire is there.

Anyway, carefully throw the bike over the gate and nip over the fence to the left. Continue along a flatish road, sheltered by the edge of the forest, until reaching another bridge. There is a "Puketiro Road" sign attached to this bridge, though it doesn't make much sense for Puketiro Road to extend this far south.

Just after the bridge the road turns steeply uphill, climbing at a gradient of 15%-20% to where it ends at an intersection with Puketiro Road and Clearys Road.

Starts from 2.1km along Bulls Run Road, off Moonshine Road. The section of Moonshine Road off State Highway 1 is winding and narrow (mostly 1-1.5 lanes), so taking Moonshine Road off State Highway 58 might be a better approach.

Ends at a Y-intersection with Puketiro Road and Clearys Road.

There is little room to park a car at the start of this track, so if you are driving then it is probably best to park near the motocross track that is 0.25km further along Bull Run Road (though take note of the "No trespassing" signs).

Cooks Road appears to be a route used by logging trucks, so beware.

1.40km

Gravel road

30 Sep 2009 by Ian

Ian