A hill country forest reserve between Wellington and the Wairarapa, threaded by river valleys and a historic rail incline.
Remutaka Forest Park
Remutaka Forest Park is a protected hill country reserve in the southern North Island of New Zealand, established in 1972 and administered by the Department of Conservation. It sits within the Remutaka Range between Lower Hutt and the Wairarapa, covering roughly 22,000 hectares of forested ridgelines, river valleys, and regenerating bush. The park is closely tied to the surrounding regional network of conservation lands, bordering Pakuratahi Forest and the broader Tararua Range to the north.
The landscape is shaped by deeply cut valleys such as the Catchpool Valley and the Ōrongorongo Valley, which carry short walking tracks, camping areas, and back country huts. The park is well known for the Remutaka Rail Trail, a converted nineteenth-century railway route used today for walking and mountain biking, and for native wildlife programmes that have rebuilt a population of North Island brown kiwi in the upper catchments.
Beyond recreation, Remutaka Forest Park plays an important conservation role, hosting rare fungi species and acting as a refuge for native birdlife in one of the most accessible hill ranges near the Wellington region. Its accessibility, combined with a layered history of forest protection, rail heritage, and ecological restoration, gives the park a strong identity as both a regional recreation hub and a significant natural area for the lower North Island.
