Greater Wellington — Queen Elizabeth Park

This is one of our most popular parks - a great place for a day out with family and friends on the Kāpiti Coast.

Opening hours

Parks are always open to foot traffic.
Vehicle gates are open 8am-6pm 1 April – 30 Sept, and 8am-9pm 1 Oct – 31 Mar.

Notices

Coast track alert

The northern section of this track is closed due to coastal erosion between Raumati South and just before Whareroa Stream, as marked on the trail map:

Queen Elizabeth Park trail map

Read more here

Published 15 Jul 2022

Download now (PDF 753 KB)

Posted 15/02/2024

Track closures - construction of Paekākāriki Surf Lifeguards Clubhouse

Construction has commenced for the new Paekākāriki Surf Lifeguards clubhouse in south-western corner of Queen Elizabeth Park, near the Wellington Road entrance of the park.

During this construction phase, please note:

Temporary disruption to beach access is expected.
Alternative access routes are available via the carpark across Wainui Stream, and the access track south of the construction site.
For your safety, follow signage on site, stay out of the construction area and be aware of vehicle movements in the area.

For more information about the construction itself, visit the Paekakariki Surf Lifeguards website.

Artist's impression of the new Paekakariki Surf Club

Posted 15/04/2024

Activities

A view of the tram at Queen Elizabeth Park

"What's happening in Queen Elizabeth Park" overlaid on a high angle view of wetlands in the park

Learn more >

Activities

Walking and hiking

Queen Elizabeth Park has a variety of different trails and most are suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Each track offers a different experience - around wetlands, through dunes, amongst kahikatea forest remnants, across paddocks, or beside the coast and passing historical landmarks.

Most tracks are shared with either cyclists, horses, or both, so be aware and take care.

Queen Elizabeth Park trail map

Read more here

Published 15 Jul 2022

Download now (PDF 753 KB)

Track	Time / grade	Details
Whareroa stream loop	1 hour return / easy	The track follows Whareroa Stream through farmland to the rolling sandhills of the northern Inland Track. Along the track you will see a number of native re-vegetation plantings. Turn left onto the northern Inland Track and do the loop walk back to Mackays Crossing via Whareroa Road.
Te Ara o Tipapa (wetland walk)	45 minutes return / easy	This track runs through the Mackays Crossing wetlands, then crosses low dunes to wetlands that alternate seasonally from dry to wet. Continue to the bush remnant, the only piece of original kahikatea forest remaining on the Kāpiti Coast. You can follow a shady track through the remnant or walk on by for good views over the equestrian paddock and the park entrance. Further on you walk through the “Marines” wetland, first planted in 2003, then past the memorial commemorating the camps that were here during World War II.
Coastal Track	1 hour 20 minutes / moderate	This walk follows the seaward dunes along the coast between Paekākāriki and Whareroa Beach, with an entry point at either end. See pingao and spinifex catching and holding the sand on the foreshore while further back muehlenbeckia, shore bindweed and flax protect and strengthen the dune system. A variety of short tracks along the way link with the beach. This is an intermediate mountain bike track with some short, steep sections. If you wish to continue north to Raumati South, you can either use the beach or the Te Ara o Whareroa trail. Find out more at Find Your Wild
Inland Track	40 minutes / moderate	The main section of the Inland Track winds through rolling sand dune ridges between the Memorial lookout in Paekākāriki and heads north providing stunning views of both Mana and Kāpiti Island. It ends at The Coastal Track just before Whareroa Road. Find out more at Find Your Wild
Yankee Trail	90 minutes return / easy to moderate	Yankee Trail – This trail takes you between the two US Marines memorials in Queen Elizabeth Park. Retrace the steps of the US Marines who used this track to walk between Camp Mackay and Paekākāriki in 1942 and 1943. A sheltered, undulating track that is an easy to intermediate mountain bike ride.
Te Ara o Whareroa	2 hours / easy to moderate	This is an easy 6km sealed trail that traverses the dune lands of Kāpiti Coast, just one hour’s drive from Wellington. The trail extends from Poplar Avenue in Raumati South all the way through Queen Elizabeth Park to Tilley Road in Paekākāriki. This popular shared route is used by locals for recreational walking and biking. Find out more at Find Your Wild
Dune Swamp Loop	30 minutes/easy to moderate	This area has been a long term restoration project by The Friends of QEP and Greater Wellington. Initially the area was planted with pioneer species and now trees such as kahikatea are starting to emerge. The planting has gradually crept year-by[1]year towards the railway line and is slowly helping to form a bush corridor from the coast to Whareroa Farm, and eventually Akatarawa Forest. The walk is a reasonably flat grass track that can be a little bit muddy in the winter. It’s suitable for most fitness levels, walking and horse riding, but not ideal for buggies.
Peatland Ridge Track	30 minutes/easy to moderate	The 1.4km walk from Rainbow Court to the Pony Club gate follows gentle undulating terrain that allows you to see the transition from farming to a newly formed native forest. You will walk past regenerating native bush and newly formed natural wetlands as you get near the Old Farm Track. Continue onto the ridge where you will have views over the northern corner of the park where much of the area has being replanted. This replanting was an initiative funded by The Maclean Trust. A peat restoration project is also in the pipeline.
Old Farm Track	60 minutes/easy	This 3.5km flat, easy walk will take you through previously farmed areas of the park. You will see native regeneration take place over the coming years which is the result of the Recloaking Papatūānuku project started in 2022. Walk from Poplar Avenue in Raumati South (this entrance is not suitable for parking) all the way to the Mackays Crossing entrance.
Peatland Loop	40 minutes/moderate	This 2.2km loop is a great place to bring your horse as it's a more remote grass track and not as suitable for cycling. You may see a number of changes in this area over the coming years due to peat restoration projects.
Kānuka Track	7 mins/easy	This 500m track links from Te Ara o Whareroa Trail into the parts of the park opened in 2022 and conveniently connects with The Old Farm Track and The Peatland Loop.

See more Walking and hiking

Mountain biking and cycling

The Te Ara o Whareroa trail runs from one end of the park to the other, connecting Paekākāriki with Raumati South.

It's the perfect place for a family bike ride as the track is sealed, making it accessible for all kinds of wheels, and easier for little legs.

There are a number of other tracks available to cyclists. While these are not sealed, they aren't necessarily designed for die-hard mountain bikers, and instead would be suited to recreational riders, families and those wanting to take it easy and admire the view.

Before you go

All tracks are shared with pedestrians and some tracks are also shared with horses, so take care and give way to other users.
If you're interested in more challenging routes, across the motorway at Whareroa Farm, you can find a number of tracks that will provide more interesting terrain.

Tracks

Track	Difficulty
Whareroa stream loop	Easy
Coastal Track	Intermediate (some short steep sections)
Inland Track	Intermediate (some short steep sections)
Yankee Trail	Easy to intermediate
Te Ara o Whareroa	Easy
Peatland Ridge Track	Easy to intermediate
Old Farm Track	Easy
Kānuka Track	Easy

Queen Elizabeth Park trail map

Read more here

Published 15 Jul 2022

Download now (PDF 753 KB)

See more Mountain biking

Dog walking

Dogs are welcome in all parts of the park, except for the Te Ara o Tipapa Loop and Dune Swamp Loop. While dogs are not required to be on a lead, please keep them under control and pick up after them at all times.

Queen Elizabeth Park trail map

Read more here

Published 15 Jul 2022

Download now (PDF 753 KB)

See more Dog walking

Horse riding

Queen Elizabeth Park is a lovely spot for horse riding, with easy trails over farmland and good access to the beach. There is also plenty of space to park horse floats.

Things to think about

Follow the parks care code
Model aircraft and trams in the park - both can be scary for horses.
The jumps at the front of the park are for organised activities only. See the Eventing Wellington website for details.

Beach and tracks

Horse riding is allowed on multiple tracks in the park. You can also ride in the neighbouring Whareroa Farm where there is a good range of riding tracks.

Horses are permitted on all Kāpiti beaches with restrictions on beach urban areas during summer. You must ride your horse in a safe and careful manner when on the beach. Keep your horse out of the dunes, as these areas are fragile and contain breeding birds and erosion-control plants.

Tracks	Details
Whareroa Stream Loop	1 hour/4km return. Easy riding. Be aware that this track goes past the model aircraft club area.
Inland Track	Takes you to Paekākāriki. Ride the track one way and along the beach on your return.
Yankee Trail	Loops around the Eventing Wellington area.
Dune Swamp loop	This is a reasonably flat grass track, taking through restoration areas.
Peatland Ridge Track	This area provides some great views over the park.
Old Farm Track	Takes you from Poplar Avenue in Raumati South to the Mackays Crossing entrance.
Peatland Loop	Flat grass loop in the previously farmed area of the park.
Kānuka Track	A link track between Te Ara o Whareroa Trail and The Old Farm Track.

Queen Elizabeth Park trail map

Read more here

Published 15 Jul 2022

Download now (PDF 753 KB)

Eventing

Queen Elizabeth Park is the home to Wellington Eventing - a discipline in horse riding where riders compete across three events (dressage, show jumping and cross country) over a day or more. In each event a rider can earn penalties, and at the end of the three events, the rider with the least penalties wins.

Eventing is an area of horse riding that New Zealand has excelled in with numerous Olympic and world championship successes. For more information on Wellington Eventing competitions held at Queen Elizabeth Park see NZ Equestrian.

See more Horse riding

Model aeroplane flying

Queen Elizabeth Park is home to Kāpiti Aeromodellers Club. The club has an airfield accessible from the Mackays Crossing entrance.

Spectators are welcome at any time at the club when members are flying. Visitors are asked to park outside the pits area. A suitable spot is signposted to the right of the pits entrance.

Find out more and join the club

See more Flying model aeroplanes

Volunteering

History

Queen Elizabeth Park and the land it sits on has long attracted people to the area.

Māori and European settlement history

Māori have been living here for hundreds of years and there were major settlements at Wainui and Whareroa up until the mid-1800s.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Kāpiti Coast was occupied by the Muaupoko and Ngati Apa peoples. Over the 19th century there were a number of raids and resulting battles that brought other tribes to the area, including Ngapuhi, Ngati Toa, Ngati Whatua, Waikato and Maniopoto.

The land where Queen Elizabeth Park now sits was an important area. The waterways between the sand hills were deep and plentiful, and it was said that canoes could be paddled from Paekākāriki to Waikanae.

From the 1830s onwards, European ships, including whaling boats regularly moored in between Kāpiti Island and the coast, as it was a sheltered place to settle.

Local Māori gradually left the area and European settlers farmed there. Land was cleared, the wetlands between the sand hills drained and pasture sown. From the 1840s the beach formed part of the main road north, with many travellers stopping overnight at Whareroa.

Communication routes improved further and the railway line between Wellington and Foxton was completed in 1886. By the turn of the 20th century, the beach highway was still providing access for the beachfront sections being developed in Raumati and Paraparaumu.

The history of this area is rich and complex. For more detailed information, see the QEP Resource Statement (PDF 2.8 MB) .

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US Marines history

Between 1942 and 1944 you would have been forgiven for thinking Queen Elizabeth Park had been taken over by Americans, because we had!

During those years over 15,000 American troops were stationed at Queen Elizabeth Park (then Camp Russell), Whareroa Farm (then Camp Mackay) and Paekākāriki Village (then Camp Paekākāriki).

When World War II broke out in 1939, New Zealand gave total support to Britain and sent our army to the Mediterranean. By 1942, Singapore had fallen and the South Pacific was under threat by Japan.

New Zealand agreed to leave its army in North Africa, and so the United States Marines were sent to New Zealand to prepare for the possibility of a Pacific War and protect the country from an invasion.

Training tragedy

Training took up a lot of the troops' time. The land around the camps was used for live firing exercises, and there were 24km route marches up Paekākāriki Hill Road (known as "Little Burma Road" to the marines), as well as exercises on the Tararua Ranges.

One training activity ended in the deaths of 10 sailors.

On June 20, 1943 there was a beach landing training. They were practising for assaults on the Japanese occupied Pacific Islands. Everything seemed to go wrong during this exercise.

One boat, named the "beach party" was supposed to be the first onshore and the last to leave the shore during the exercise. Their job was to prepare the beach for the 1,600 marines to follow them. This boat had 25 men on board.

During the exercise the tide stranded the boats on the beach, while the weather hit them with freezing cold rain and strong winds and a rising surf.

As the last boat off the beach, the beach party didn't leave the shores until after nightfall. When they finally did get to the water their engine woudn't start so a larger boat towed them out stern first (backwards).

The waves crashed onto the boat and because the boat was backwards it couldn't ride the waves, instead they hit it and went over it with force. When they were still a good distance from the ship, the boat capsized, throwing the 25 men into the freezing sea.

Ten men drowned that night, nine swam ashore and six more were picked up by rescue boats.

The WWII U.S. Marines Camp interpretation tells the story of the Marines based at the camp and local residents. We would like to acknowledge The Kapiti US Marines Trust for the work they have done bringing this project to life.

You can find this sign via the Wellington Road, Paekākāriki Entrance to Queen Elizabeth Park, near where Wainui Stream crosses Queen Elizabeth Road. Find the location on Google Maps.

To learn more about the history of the Marines stationed in Queen Elizabeth Park, visit Marinesnz.com.

See more Historic

Description

Grab your sneakers, bike or horse - there are tracks here for everyone! Jump on the tram for a ride to the beach or go bird spotting in the wetlands. Find out about the US Marines who trained here in WWII.

Learn more about the Trams and Tramway Museum

Ramaroa Centre

Maclean Trust Project

Know before you go

Dogs are welcome in all parts of the park, except for the Te Ara o Tipapa Loop. Whilst dogs are not required to be on a lead, please keep them under control and pick up after them at all times.
Camp at the Paekākāriki Holiday Park near the south entrance.
Fireworks are banned in all Regional Parks and Forests.

Download the park brochure

Queen Elizabeth Park brochure

Queen Elizabeth Park is the last area of natural dunes on Kāpiti’s coastline.

Māori have been living here for hundreds of years and there were major settlements at Wainui and Whareroa… Read more here

Published 15 Jul 2022

Download now (PDF 1.1 MB)

Getting there

There are three main entrances and each offers a slightly different experience of the park:

Mackays Crossing entrance off SH1
Paekākāriki entrances
Raumati South entrances

By public transport

Train: Catch the Metlink Kāpiti Line to the Paekākāriki railway station, visit the museum in the station and then walk or bike 1.5km to the southern park entrance at the end of Wellington Road.
Bus: Take a No. 250 bus from Paraparaumu railway station to Jeep Rd, Raumati South.

Head to Metlink to plan your journey:

By bike

Plan your route with the Kāpiti, Porirua, Tawa cycle map.

Kāpiti, Porirua and Tawa Cycle Map 2023 | Ko te Mahere Pahikara o Kāpiti, o Porirua, o Tawa 2023

Bike network of the Greater Wellington region - Ko ngā ara Pahikara o Pōneke Nui Tonu

Corrections:

Please note current printed version is missing Porirua Green Bike Trust, located at:

Trash Palace
20 Broken… Read more here

Published 30 Jan 2023

Download now (PDF 18 MB)

By car

Mackays Crossing entrance off SH1

The main entrance is near the Ramaroa Centre and the Tramway Museum. Along the road are walking, cycling and horse riding tracks, the WWII US Marines display, restored wetlands and the kahikatea forest remnant. The road continues to Whareroa Beach, surrounding dunes and picnic areas.

Paekākāriki entrances

This entrance near the Paekākāriki Holiday Park gives access to picnic areas, the surf lifesaving club and safe swimming.

Turn off SH1 into the Paekākāriki township and turn right into Wellington Road. The park entrance is at the end of Wellington Road.
Access the southern end of the Te Ara o Whareroa trail through the Tilley Road Reserve on Tilley Road.

Raumati South entrances

Access to walking and cycling tracks including the Te Ara o Whareroa trail, dune systems, and the Kāpiti Pony Club.

Turn off SH1 at Poplar Ave and follow the road to its end at the Esplanade. Turn left and drive for about 1km to reach the park entrance.
Access to the northern end of the Te Ara o Whareroa trail from Matai Road.

Updated July 3, 2024 at 4:23 PM

Get in touch

Phone:: 0800496734
Email:: info@gw.govt.nz

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Queen Elizabeth Park

Haere mai, welcome to Queen Elizabeth Park

Opening hours

Queen Elizabeth Park trail map

Activities