Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the car park by the Te Kopahou Visitor Centre at the end of Ōwhiro Bay Parade, pass the old quarry and follow the gravel coast road west along the shore, past a cluster of early twentieth-century baches, to the red rocks of Pariwhero. Carry on round the bay to Devil's Gate at the foot of Te Rimurapa/Sinclair Head, where fur seals haul out, and return the same way. On a clear day the South Island is in view across Cook Strait.
It is 7.7 km there and back with 63 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy: a flat, uneven gravel road along the shore.
Fur seals gather around Sinclair Head, mostly in the winter months: stay at least 20 m away, never come between a seal and the sea, and keep dogs on a lead. Four-wheel-drive vehicles and bikes use the coast road every day except Sunday, when the gate is shut to vehicles from 9 am to 6 pm. The coast takes the full force of southerly storms, so choose a calm day and bring warm, windproof layers. The red outcrop is ancient pillow lava, and Taputeranga Marine Reserve lies offshore.
The car park at the end of Ōwhiro Bay Parade is free. Metlink bus 29 runs to Ōwhiro Bay Parade, about 15 minutes' walk from the visitor centre.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Pariwhero means red cliff: an outcrop of ancient pillow lava stains this stretch of shore red
- In Māori tradition the colour is blood, from Māui's nose as he baited his hook, or from Kupe cut on the rocks
- The Red Rocks Scientific Reserve was set up in 1972 after protests about quarrying; the old quarry is now the start
- Taputeranga Marine Reserve lies offshore, and on a clear day the South Island shows across Cook Strait
Getting there
Start: Te Kopahou Visitor Centre car park. -41.34862, 174.75011
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Wellington: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.