Council Services

Parks and Reserves

 
We know you value our parks and open spaces. We want a green and attractive city and will make
Upper Hutt greener through improved care of public spaces. So whether you want to go for a walk,
a picnic, play sport, or just relax, you'll find the perfect spot in your local park. Upper Hutt City has
more than fifty parks offering picturesque walkways, majestic trees and gardens, playgrounds,
picnic areas and sports grounds.
 
Key attractions include Trentham Memorial Park, Maidstone Park and Harcourt Park.  In addition, a
network of smaller parks throughout the city provide space for organised sport and casual
recreation, as well as bush cover and walking tracks.
 
The Council holds a total area of 548ha as parks and reserves. This is comprised of:

• 24 senior and 41 junior sports fields
• 3 regional and 33 neighbourhood playgrounds
• 15km of walking and cycling tracks plus 4.5km of tramping/hiking tracks
• 194.3ha of Council land is bush covered, of which 12.65ha is fenced for conservation purposes
• Public gardens include 5.4ha on road reserves and 6.9ha on parks and reserves

 
The council owns and maintains 24 public toilets throughout the city.
 
The Hutt River area, a popular space for informal recreation, is under the control of the Greater
Wellington Regional Council. Upper Hutt City Council maintains parts of the riverside, including
Moonshine Park, on behalf of the Regional Council.

Activities and events in parks and reserves

You can find all sorts of sports activities and facilities in Upper Hutt City’s parks - view the parks location map (PDF, 245K). For more information on sport activities in Upper Hutt parks and reserves visit Activation

Our most popular parks

    

Harcourt Park (Click an image to view larger)

Situated off Akatarawa Road, Harcourt Park contains attractive native forest with flood lit trees and a lit central walkway. A large stage provides a popular performance venue for live music concerts and events.   The park also contains senior football fields, a fully serviced holiday park, a children's playground and summer paddling pool, a disc golf course and picnic facilities including two free electric barbecues.   Outdoor Paddling Pool The pool, adjacent to the popular playgrounds, provides gallons of free fun for the whole family but especially for toddlers under five. Exciting water spray features are installed and include a spray tunnel and sensor-timed sprinklers are set to provide a fun, interactive and safe environment for children to cool off in the summer. Young children enjoy the slide into the pool (30cm deep) and an area has been kept free of water spray features for those mothers and tots who want to play spray free.   Come down and see the water spray features for yourself. Why not pack a picnic and make use of the nearby free electric BBQ and picnic tables. Bookings are necessary for the picnic areas - email tsu@uhcc.govt.nz. Parking is also available at the park. The pool is open for sixteen weeks of the year (weather dependant) with water spray features in operation from 10am-7pm. Parental supervision is required at all times as the pool is unsupervised.

 
    

Maidstone Park
A mix of sports, bush walking, picnicing and playgrounds are available at Maidstone Park. The large trees, lookout and walkways help create an attractive setting close to the city centre. The park is home to the Totara Park Softball, Upper Hutt Rugby Club and Maidstone Athletics Club.   Maidstone Max is the regions most popular play park and has features for all ages including a skate park and one of the highest climbing nets in New Zealand. Access to Maidstone Park is off Park Street and via a subway from the Upper Hutt Railway Station.
Downhill Mountain Bike Track FREE | Open 24/7 all year (except for competition days)
A hit with cyclists from all over the Wellington Region! Designed by local riders and the Kennet Brothers, the track twists down the hill and exits through a mix of regenerating native and established beech forest. The 1100m dedicated downhill mountain bike track should take intermediate to expert riders four to six minutes to ride. Less experienced riders will be challenged by the course and should expect to take between six and ten minutes. All abilities will find challenge in the fun track that contains bermed corners that lead into jumps and drop offs with alternatives for those who like to keep their tyres on the ground! Riders can access the track from the top of Seymour Grove off King Charles Drive. There is plenty of parking and a turning circle and drop off point for shuttle runs.

 
       

Trentham Memorial Park
	An attractive setting for sports, carnivals, picnics, playgrounds and bush walks, Trentham Memorial Park lies between Fergusson Drive and the Hutt River. There is a range of sporting pursuits available in the park including rugby, football, cricket, harriers and an axeman’s club. Two areas of lowland Tawa and podocarp forest, Barton's Bush and Domain bush are the last remnants of the extensive native forest that once clothed the Hutt Valley Barton’s Bush The largest remaining area of lowland mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest on the valley floor. Named after Richard Barton who settled in the area in 1841, it was his desire that this section of the native forest should remain whilst the city of Upper Hutt gradually took shape and land was cleared for farming and settling.

Find your nearest park or reserve...

You can easily find a park in Upper Hutt - click here to view our parks location map (PDF, 245K).

Hoggard Park Plateau Road Park Te Haukaretu Park Upper Plateau Park

Awakairangi Park  Pine Avenue Park Akatarawa Cemetery  Pinehaven Library Reserve Benge Hall Park Pinehaven Reserve Benge Park Plateau Road Park Birchville Park Poet's Park Brown Owl Park Pumpkin Cottage Reserve California Park Rata Park Clouston Park Riverstone Reserve Clyma Park Riverbank Park Doris Nicholson Park Savage Park Duncraig Crescent Park Silverstream Amenity Reserve Dunn's Park Silverstream Park Ecclesfield Reserve Speargrass Park Emerald Hill Reserve Tapestry Grove Park Harcourt Park Tawai Park Heretaunga Park Te Haukaretu Park Hoggard Park Timberlea Park Karapoti Park Trentham Memorial Park Keith George Memorial Park/Silverstream Scenic Reserve Tulsa Park Kurth Crescent Reserve Turon Park McLeod Park Twin Bridges McLeod Street Children's Playground Upper Plateau Playground Maidstone Park Ward Street/Miro Street Area Maoribank Park Whakatiti Park Moonshine Park Willow Park Ngati Tama Park Wyndham Park Oxford Park

Improving parks and reserves

The Parks and Reserves division is responsible for managing the city parks, reserves and public gardens, for now and the future, to:  

• meet the recreational needs of the public, including sports groups and all other park users
• provide an attractive open space environment
• provide a selected range of top quality attractions for locals and visitors to Upper Hutt.
   

This is in keeping with Councils Strategic Plan to provide high quality parks and reserves that provide a range of passive and active leisure opportunities in a cost effective manner for the city’s residents, as well as providing areas and associated facilities that contribute to a fun leisure destination image for the city.
 
The Parks and Reserves team annually review asset management plans for all our major parks.

Top