Wellington
Horse riding in Wellington and across the Wellington Region
Aorangi Forest Park
Horse riders can use the four wheel drive track from Te Kopi to Waikuku. The Akatarawa Recreational Access Commitee (ARAC) manages this track and has the key for the Te Kopi gate.
Contact Ian Wishart from ARAC for the key 04 27 444 0196 Click here for Akatarawa Forest
Ohariu Valley Equestrian Centre
20 minutes drive from the Wellington CBD and 10 minutes from Johnsonviile.
517 Ohariu Valley Road, Johnsonville
Monday to Fridays only, 9am to 6pm.
Unguided trail riding on a 850 acre property
Must have a trail pass.
Cafe and Tack and Feed shop onsite
The cost of a day trail riding pass is $20 per person* and there is float parking available for an extra $5 per float.
Trail Riding Pass for a 6 or 12 month period may also be available. A pass gives you access to riding trails on the property. Combo pass with arena access also available.
*prices as per 2019Woodburn Reserve
Entrance: Woodburn Drive (near intersection of Takapu Road) and near 134 Bing Lucas Drive.
5 hectares of bush-covered slopes in Woodburn
The start of the track at the bottom of Woodburn Drive is being developed as a wetland. The track continues uphill for a few hundred metres on a grassy, four-wheel-drive route. It then becomes more level as it winds along the side of the valley through a mix of regenerating bush and remnants of the original forest cover. It ends at another reserve entrance further up Woodman Drive.
There are two steep link tracks to the reserve from an entrance next to 134 Bing Lucas Drive. Check that the gate is not padlocked (and tell us please as we have not confimed this)
Shared use with mountain bikers and walkers.
Parking: Roadside parking at lower entrance includes a fairly large gravel area beside the road, and there is a wide berm at Bing Lucas.
Entrance on Bing Lucas Ave - photos above
Roadside parking on Woodburn Rd, near intersection with Takapu
INFORMATION REQUIRED/REQUESTED
The Wellington Open Spaces Plan has a number of horse riding locations in it which aren't generally advertised. These are Old Coach Road, (Johnsonville–Ohariu Valley) , Te Kopahou south coast
Further information has been requested from Wellington Council, if you have ridden these areas please help us by adding information using our online form
Te Kopahou south coast
Wellington Official website I have put in a request to the website team to update this page with horse riding information, note the pdf also does not mention horse riding so I have also put in a request for information to the Council.
Spicer Forest
A 73 hectare reserve between Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve and Spicer Landfill to the north, the top of Ohariu Valley Road to the south, Tawa to the east and farmland to the west (see Location Map Figure 1). Ohariu Stream runs through the reserve, with Porirua Council owning land west of the stream and Wellington City Council owning the rest of the land. Te Araroa Trail runs along Ohariu Stream then climbs to the top of the valley where it ascends to Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve and Te Rahui o Rangituhi.
locked gate for horse riding access.
Entrance to reserves at 944 Ohariu Valley Road has no signage or information