Jungle Gym

Wainuiomata trail project, Wellington, New Zealand

Jungle Gym is the main track up into the Wainuiomata Trail Project. With a gentle grade and no tricky technical obstacles, the track is suitable for a wide range of users.

Intermediate

Bike and Foot

Jungle Gym starts near the bottom of the valley and gently climbs to near the Wainuiomata Hill saddle.

Some parts of the climb are quite steep, though they're interspersed with sections that are flatter or even slightly downhill. There are a couple of sets of switchbacks, which account for a fair proportion of the altitude gained. An interesting feature is a chicane, where the track drops down and around an S-bend for no apparent reason other than because it can.

Most of the track has had heaps of gravel embedded in it, making for a generally firm and robust track surface, designed to withstand all weather.

At the top of Jungle Gym, there are several alternatives. You can proceed up or down the ECNZ pylon road, which traverses the length of the Eastern Hutt Hills. Labyrinth starts from the top of Jungle Gym, continuing up the hill more-or-less parallel to the ECNZ pylon road.

Alternatively, turn left and travel 30m down the ECNZ pylon road to find the start of the downhill-only Beeline track. Climbing Jungle Gym and descending Beeline makes a good combination.

Jungle Gym (Start-3:05), then Jungle Scout (3:06-end)

Officially the track starts from the "Wainuiomata" sign on Wainuiomata Road. If you need somewhere to park a vehicle, then a more convenient entrance is from the end of Waiu Street. Take Jungle Scout from Waiu Street to Jungle Gym.

Alternatively, the top of the track is 20m up the ECNZ pylon road from the Wainuiomata Road saddle car park.

If traveling over the Wainuiomata hill, turn left at the first roundabout in Wainuiomata and then left again into Waiu Street. At the end of Waiu Street, follow Jungle Scout until you meet a T-intersection. The left-hand branch is a short section that goes to the official start of Jungle Gym, the right-hand branch is Jungle Gym continuing up the hill.

Jungle Gym crosses the downhill-only Beeline track at about 1.0km up from the official start. Users of Jungle Gym should give way to those on Beeline.

Jungle Gym is a multi-use track, though cyclists have the right of way.

1.89km

Single track

6 Feb 2010 by Ian

Ian