Takapu Ridge track provides a different ascent to the hills dividing Porirua and the Hutt Valley, and an alternative to the popular ascents up Belmont from the Hutt Valley.

Leave the car at the gate near the end of Takapu Road just before the substation. Start walking here and, within 500m, you’ll come to the information boards for Belmont Regional Park. Here is where you begin your ascent, up Takapu Ridge.

The walk up Takapu Ridge is steady but short, and the terrain is an agreeable farm track. Stop to admire the views of Porirua City behind you. It’s less than two kilometres to the track junction with Dress Circle Track and the skyline track to Belmont.

Belmont trig (456m) is another two kilometres. It’s a fun walk, high above the Korokoro watershed, and well worth the deviation. There are fine views across the Hutt Valley to the Remutaka Range—but it’s only at Belmont summit where the views open across Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington Harbour) towards the Southern Ocean and Te Waipounamu (South Island). Mount Hector and the surrounding peaks of the Tararua Range are to your north—probably a good deal hazier than Te Waipounamu. All in all, it’s a great spot for lunch.

Personally, I think this approach to Belmont trig is more satisfying than the usual approach from Korokoro Dam and Baked Beans Bend. The travel over farmland offers fine vistas, compared to the ‘valley and bush’ encounter experience from the Oakleigh Street entrance.

Return to the junction to follow Dress Circle Track towards Cannon’s Head (390m), another high point. Just before Cannon’s Head, a 4WD track sidles the hill down towards the start point. You can choose this route if you want, but we continued along the ridge over Cannon’s Head towards Round Knob. A sign before Round Knob shows the way back to the carpark.

Heading down is straightforward, past a farm dam and great views of Transmission Gully Motorway. Things become a little confusing at the end of a steep spur—a pylon in the distance encourages one to continue toward Transmission Gully but the track proper turn south to sidle the hill and pick up the 4WD track that comes down from Cannon’s Head. From the junction with the 4WD track it’s a quick cruise down to Cannon’s Creek through an area being regenerated by a dedicated local community group.

A gentle climb out of Cannon’s Creek follows but you’ll immediately find yourself back at the information boards, from where it’s a quick skip to the car.

Need to know

Access: Park at Takapu Road end

Grade: Easy, with a few climbs

Distance and ascent: 12km with 509m ascent

Time:  3-4 hours

NZ Topo 50: BP31 Porirua, BP32 Paraparaumu, BQ31 Wellington, BQ32 Lower Hutt (This track sits on the intersection of topographical sheets, so you may want to refer to www.topomap.co.nz).