The Tip Track
This walk takes you from the Happy Valley gate to the sealed road near the top of Hawkins Hill. The ascent is steep in places with a good place to rest halfway up in the abandoned stockyards. This track is a favourite with mountain bikers and walkers.
Look to the north and you can seethe Living Earth Plant and the Southern Landfill.
This area is known as Carey’s Gully, and is home to many of the city’s key waste treatment and disposal assets. After you flush or pull your plug, your sewerage goes through the city’s 1000 kilometres of sewer pipes to the treatment facility to Moa Point. Fully treated effluent goes into Cook Strait, and the remaining sludge is pumped via a pipeline to the dewatering plant operated by United Water International.
Te Kopahou/Bunker Track
The start of the track is reached by following the sealed road from the wind turbine car park to the radome and by walking south along the ridge. At the end of the gravel road there is an intersection of two tracks. Facing Cook Strait, the western (or right hand) track passes into private property and permission of the landowner should be obtained before entering. The track to the east (or left hand) below the trig is the Te Kopahou/Bunker Track. It descends rapidly, reaching a saddle with a second intersection. Carrying straight on will bring you to the Te Rimurapa headland (Sinclair Head). It is classified as a Maori reserve and the site of an early settlement site and the Rimurapa observation post dating back to World War Two. The New Zealand Army had an observation post on the headland and the derelict remains are still evident. This route from the trig to the bunkers is a steep 2km (itkm return) and would take a further two hours return from the top. Remember to leave extra time for lunch at the bunkers as this is an excellent view point.
On the way back you may decide to head into the valley at the saddle and come back either by the coastal, Red Rocks or Radome tracks.
The Coastal Track
The Coastal Track follows the coastline from Owhiro Bay, past the old Owhiro Bay Quarry and Red Rocks (Pariwhero), to Sinclair Head (Rimurapa). Rimurapa and Pariwhero were made scientific reserves in 1983 and 1972 respectively, and are administered by the Department of Conservation. The land north of the AWD track, from the quarry to Sinclair Head, is administered by the City Council. The track is easy and popular with all users. Care and courtesy should be exercised. Be wary of vehicles.
The naming of Kopahou
Te Kopahou is the ridge beginning at Highbury forming the eastern side of the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, continuing south between the Silver Stream tributary of Karori Stream and the headwaters of Owhiro Stream, reaching Cook Strait at Sinclair Head (Rimurapa).
Te Kopahou was also a pa site of Ngati- Rangi and Ngati-Hikerata burned by Te Rauparaha c. 1850. Site unknown. (From The Great Harbour of Tara, G. Leslie Adkin, 1959, p.32).
An approximate translation is „a bent or folded feather“.
Source: wellington.govt.nz