Northern Walkway

Tinakori Hill, Wellington, New Zealand

Tinakori Hill section of the Northern Walkway.

Intermediate

Bike and Foot

From the southern end, this track starts with a set of steps and some tight switchbacks. After that, it curves around the hill and climbs steadily to an intersection where a track heads straight up the hill. Instead of going that way, drop down and around to the right via a wooden structure.

Just around the corner is an intersection with the top of Grant Road, which heads diagonally down the hill. The area around that intersection was covered with mature pine trees until they were felled by a storm in 2004.

Continue up the hill at a gradient of almost 15% for another 0.7km, to a sign-posted intersection with the bottom of the West East Connector. At that point the Northern Walkway briefly becomes singletrack, heading off into the bushes away from what appears to be the main track.

After a short, sharp climb the track then descends over the next 1.3km - gently at first and then increasingly steeply.

Finally, the track ascends over the remaining 0.5km to Weld Street, with the last 0.35km on a partly sealed one-lane road. A branch off this road goes up to the tennis courts on the ridgeline.

Along the way there are several benches that offer pleasant surroundings and great views over the city skyline and the harbour.

The southern end is at the top of St. Mary Street, which is a steep, deadend street off Glenmore Street.

The northern end is next to a green garage at 93 Weld Street, Wadestown - just over 0.1km downhill from the northern end of Tinakori Ridgeline.

This is the only section of the Northern Walkway that is open to bikes. At some point mechanisms will be installed on the down hill part of this track to slow down bikes.

There are lots of tracks that deviate off this one, heading either up or down the hill. All of them, apart from Grant Road and West East Connector, are closed to bikes.

2.85km

Double track

20 Dec 2009 by ledzep

Ian