About | Eastern Walkway (and Point Dorset)
The Eastern Walkway goes through the native bush, takes in harbour views from the ridgeline, then descends down to the coastline where you can enjoy the bays before returning to your starting point. Running along the Miramar Peninsula, the track goes from Tarakena Bay to Pass of Branda, but you can complete the walk in either direction. Seats and great picnic spots are along the way.
Discover World War II gun batteries, observation posts, the Ataturk Memorial and Māori historical sites along the Eastern Walkway. There are quite a few steps and it’s quite exposed. Bring water, sunblock and good shoes.
Time & distance: 1.5 hours, 2.5km loop walk.
Dogs: on leads.
Explore more: Point Dorset (also known as Oruaiti Reserve)
Brave the northerly winds and walk along the ridge where you’ll enjoy fantastic views of the Wellington Harbour, Cook Strait, and on a clear day, you might even see the South Island in the distance.
Point Dorset can be added on to the journey or if you don’t wish to walk that much, you can simply make this your destination. It’s well worth it, let the kids enjoy the beach then head up for the view and discover the World War II gun batteries and observation posts.
Point Dorset: History
You’ll find that this is a place of both European and Maori history as you pass by the spot that was once the Oruaiti Pã site, which is now honoured by the Waka Sculpture and several military bunkers and gun emplacements which were used to protect the harbour from a potential seaborne attack. Find where they all once were: Oruaiti Reserve Military Structures.
The Waka Sculpture at Point Dorset
The mythical waka sculpture was designed by Charles Gordon who says that, “As the protector of the entrance to the harbour it is very representative of the role of the site for centuries”. It overlooks Wellington Heads and the Pou Whenua (carved wooden post) is aligned with the Orongorongo Mountains on the other side of the harbour. When it came to designing the sculpture, the local community wanted something natural and they didn’t want any huge structures on the headland.
Every part of the sculpture has a special meaning:
- The flat timber represents the hull, the layer of concrete and shells the land, the black posts the oars and oarsmen.
- The pavers arranged as a diamond represent the Korowai (traditional Maori cloak) that give protection from the winds.
- gravel and grass planting at the end of the waka represent its mooring place and connection to the land.
- Totara timbers in the middle symbolise the strength of the waka – its mast, the spine and ribs of the vessel.
Map
There are several walks in this area. Check out: Eastern Walkway Brochure and Map.
Nearby
Weta Cave
Wellington Sign
Scorching Bay Beach
Lyall Bay
Location
For the Eastern Walkway, start at Tarakena Bay.
Photos
When we visited Point Dorset, we didn’t know much about the place but saw an amazing photo of Point Dorset, so wanted to check it out. We started at the school, you can walk over the field where you’ll find stairs leading up to the track. There’s a cool play area at the school so it was actually quite nice that we went through there.
We reached the cliff edge to the harbour below. There was a track going down to it and in both directions along the cliff edge but we carried on towards Point Dorset. The track looked amazing though and if we did it another time, would love to do the whole thing.
There was a bit of a track going along the cliff – it was rather narrow but to the boys, it looked like an amazing adventure. So, even though there’s a much safer way down to the beach, we took this one and to be honest, it was rather cool, but I wouldn’t recommend it to young children – as you go further along, you actually have to climb down a very steep rock to get down to the beach. I was actually thinking of heading back the other way but the boys were like, nah, we can do it. So that went ahead.
This is the part where you have to actually climb down if you want to get to the beach that I was telling you about. It’s a bit of a challenge but we did it.
Walking around and up the rocky headland, we were rewarded with a very splendid view of the harbour.
Climbing back, we decided to head more along the coast and stumbled across Fort Dorset.
Looking down to the beach below, we could see a hole in the rock that you could actually walk through. Looked cool, and we would have gone for a wander if it wasn’t for the sun that would soon be dipping below the horizon.
A quick little explore past the old World War II observation posts, we could even spot more in the distance but decided to head back.
Reaching the school again, the kids enjoyed rolling down the hill. This was a really cool adventure exploring Point Dorset and we’d be back in a heartbeat if we ever found ourselves in Wellington again – and I’m sure we will!
