I had run the Puke Ariki track a few years ago but hadn’t spent much time in Belmont Regional Park since. After doing a day trip with the club to find Tin Hut last year, I remembered what a great walk Puke Ariki was, and how suitable it would be for a club trip.
We took the train up to Manor Park Station, with several trip members joining along the way. We started walking just after 9 am, and took our time warming up our legs as we tackled the climb up to Boulder Hill. The track is very well-maintained and seems to be very popular for people doing a Boulder Hill return trip.
While there was some wind on the tops (delaying my plans for a morning tea break), the views were fantastic. We slowly descended into the farmland and could see the path ahead of us almost to Belmont Trig. The ammunition bunkers close to Round Knob were also visible in the distance.
We spent some time sheltering out of the wind, having lunch and exploring the bunkers, before making our way to the airstrip. This is the part of the track where I got lost previously, and true to form, I found the signage confusing. It was unclear which path was best to take to get off the airstrip and up to Round Knob. While we didn’t “get lost”, we did end up on the wrong side of a fence – which we had to navigate around.
I always forget how windy the section from Round Knob over Cannons Head and to Belmont Trig is. The Trig is so clearly visible and looks so close, yet every time you come around a bend the track seems to take you on a non-direct path! The wind, which had been reasonably strong since Boulder Hill, was becoming stronger, so we kept up a steady pace with few stops.
On the top of Belmont Trig the wind was surprisingly mild, so we had a break and enjoyed the views out to Wellington Harbour and beyond. We then headed down the hill and along Korokoro Stream to Cornish Street.
Some of our group collected their cars to drive home, and the rest of us trained back to Wellington.
Statistics
Manor Park Station to Cornish Street: 23.2 km
Elapsed time: 7 hrs 17 mins
Moving time: 5 hrs 2 mins
Ascent: 911 m
Descent: 960 m