News and media
Anchor stone
Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast unveils a plaque at the top of the cable car on September 25 to mark the end, and the beginning, of Te Araroa's North Island - Te Ika a Maui route.
The chairman of Te Araroa Wellington Trust, Denis McLean stands alongside the mayor, holding the flag. Other guests include, left to right, the associate Minister of Conservation, Hon Mahara Okeroa, June Jackson Te Ati Awa kuia, and Sam Jackson Te Ati Awa kaumatua. The Mayor of Porirua, Jenny Brash, also attended the ceremony, but is out of shot here.
The unveiling of the North Island end-stone, also marked completion of Te Araroa's first city-to-city link, 27 kilometres of track joining Wellington to Porirua.
A verse from Denis Glover's 1951 poem Themes is set into the rock.
Sing all things sweet or harsh upon
These islands in the Pacific sun,
The mountains whitened endlessly
And the white horses of the winter sea,
sings Harry
From the Skyline Lookout the route follows Wellington City's Northern Walkway, nine kilometres to Mt Kaukau. The four-kilometre walk from that summit down to Ohariu Valley uses mainly the historic old coach route that used to run over the hill from Johnsonville. The route then traverses Ohariu Valley with a 6 kilometre walk along Ohariu Valley Road to Spicer Forest. Negotiations are continuing to take this section off-road by securing access along the valley's eastern ridge.
From Spicer Forest the track continues 3 kilometres to Colonial Knob, then a further 5 kilometres down from that summit to Porirua City.
