Follow the latest news and events related to the Great Harbour Way, such as improvements to sections of the route and cycling / running / walking events along the route.
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Projects: updates on work to improve parts of the route
Recent News
Recent News
Te Ara Tupua opened and an amazing great success!
Te Ara Tupua opened and an amazing great success!
Waka Kotahi / NZTA project update.
Te Ara Tupua officially opened to the public on Saturday, 16 May 2026. The 4.5 km shared path links Ngāuranga and Petone in the Wellington region, creating a continuous coastal route for walkers, runners, and cyclists.
Note: the cutting of the ribbons by officials and key representatives of the Te Ara Tupua project alliance and stakeholder groups took place day before. The public event on the Saturday attracked thousands of people and has continued this enormous popularity; not just in the weekends, but also during the week days.
Tupua Horo Nuku opened
Tupua Horo Nuku opened
19 April 2026. Hutt City project update.
A beautiful Tā i te Kawa ceremony (dawn blessing) officially opened Tupua Horo Nuku at a very wet Whiorau Reserve on Saturday 18 April.
Sadly, the bad weather has cancelled tomorrow’s Tupua Horo Nuku community event as clean-up across the city is prioritised.
We'll look at other options to celebrate with the community in the coming weeks ❤️.
We hope everyone can get out and enjoy the shared path once the weather clears
Previous news items
Previous news items
Tupua Horo Nuku getting close to completion
Tupua Horo Nuku getting close to completion
18 December 2025. Hutt City project update.
Tupua Horo Nuku is a 4.4-kilometre seawall and shared path along Marine Drive between Ngau Matau/Point Howard and Eastbourne. Work on the shared path at a number of the Eastern Bays has now completed, with only a few Bays to be finished. Completion date is expected to be later in the 1st quarter of 2026.
Te Ara Tupua is progressing well
Te Ara Tupua is progressing well
3 November 2025. Waka Kotahi / NZTA project update.
Despite the wild spring weather, the project is making good progress. The final bridge piers have been installed at the Ngauranga end of the new shared path. The bridge span over the railway line itself will be put in place in December.
All the seawalls are in place. Ducting for utilities is 60% completed. The ūranga (landing places) are taking shape with planting and landscaping.
At the Honiana Te Puni Reserve at the northern end (see photo above) kerbing is being put around the boat ramp and the Tawharau pods, and a foundation installed for a sculpture. A new pathway is being completed by the Waimarino Rowing and Water Ski Club building.
A 1.8m high chain-link fence is being installed alongside the railway line all the way along the shared path. These fences are designed to protect against being electrified if the overhead power lines would fall on a section of the fence.
April 2025 - Work gets under way at Greta Point
Work is starting at the northern end of Greta Point on the next section of Tahitai – the coastal walking and bike paths taking shape around Evans Bay. For the next few months, this means there will often be two spots with stop/go traffic management on Evans Bay Parade (Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm) as work is also under way to replace seawalls at Hataitai beach. At Greta Point, wider new bike and walking paths will replace the existing shared path on the seaward side, continuing the roll-out and style of improvements already in place closer to the city and adjacent to Cobham Drive. There will also be two new pedestrian crossings going in to make getting across this busy road easier and safer.
The street changes in Greta Point village will take about six months and be carried out in two sections to help minimise disruption. Each section will take about three months. Find out more about how the changes will be rolled out.
April 2025 - Update from Waka Kotahi on the Tupua Horo Nuku / Easter Bay Shared Paths project
Things have been full steam ahead as the project transitions into the colder season, with the focus spread across various bays.
In Sorrento Bay, approximately two-thirds of the seawall and pavement works—around 230 metres—have been completed. Last week, our team successfully placed 48 metres of seawall and poured over 80m³ of concrete backfill. The next step in this section is preparing for the bird screening fence, which provides protection to the sensitive oystercatcher habitat.
Over at Māhina Bay, four active work fronts have helped advance our progress with deep foundation works across the bay. You can now see an access track established at the southern end, providing a work platform situated off the road to minimise disruption to traffic. This setup additionally extends our working window by elevating us above most of the tidal zone.
Meanwhile, at Whiorau | Lowry Bay, progress continues with nearly 800 metres of seawall now installed. In addition to the work in the cofferdam, we've also installed the balustrade and poured the pavement base along most of the southern section.
Check out the latest flyover video showcasing the construction progress along the Eastern Bays.
November 2023 - The first section of the Tupua Horo Nuku shared path between Easterbourne and Days Bay has been opened!
Eventually this shared path will run between Ngau Matau (Point Howard) at Seaview and Eastbourne. On 19 November, Mayor Campbell Barry spoke to a crowd of about 300 people who attended the opening ceremony despite wet weather, and the local school group provided a fantastic kapa haka.
After the event many people took the opportunity to walk and bike the wonderful new wide shared path that will also provide considerable protection against the rising sea levels and larger storms that we are now experiencing due to climate change.
It is great to see how improvements like this are helping to realise the Great Harbour Way vision!
July 2023 - Letter to the Dominion Post
Graeme Hall, our Trust chair, published this letter in the Saturday Post, 22 July 23.
"Leonard F Rumbold suggests Te Ara Tupua should not be built because of predicted sea level rise. The exact opposite is true. By far the bulk of the $312 million cost of the walking-cycling path between Ngāūranga to Petone, is to build resilience against sea level rise. This will this be a huge infrastructure asset for the region protecting critical transport links between the region's two main cities. It will also finally safely link Wellington and Lower Hutt for pedestrians and cyclists and fill the main gap in our fantastic Great Harbour Way path circling our entire harbour. The investment provides this twofold dividend.
Once completed in 2026, this project will be a game-changer for the region in a similar way that the restoration of the Wellington waterfront has been. Te Ara Tupua will be a linear park that will be enjoyed by thousands, and allow safe, attractive commuting for cyclists and other micro mobility commuters helping reduce our carbon footprint and limit climate change and sea level rise.
The Great Harbour Way will transform the way we see the harbour and its perimeter, turning it into a tourist attraction for the region, while linking to other great paths such as the River Trail and the Remutaka Rail Trail".
July 2023 - Update on Te Are Tupua
Work is progressing well with the Te Ara Tupua (Ngā Ūranga to Pito-One section) in particular at the Honiana Te Puni Reserve at the west side of the Petone foreshore where work is close to completing a new shared path that connects up to the existing path and to the SH2 roadside path / shoulder via the Petone overbridge
7/2/21 – Green light for Te Ara Tupua; the Petone-Ngauranga seaside shared path! Trustees of the Te Aranaui o Pōneke, the Great Harbour Way, welcome the fast track, green light given to construct the “shovel-ready” seaside path between Ngaūraunga and Petone.
20/10/20 – Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have announced that they are about to lodge the consent applications for Te Ara Tupau, and have provided new images and videos of the design for the Ngā Ūranga to Pito-One section of this proposed harbour-side shared path.
25/8/2020 – Read our letter of support for the resource consent application for Te Ara Tupau path (the Petone-Ngauranga seaside shared path).
4/8/2020 – Funding for the Eastern Bays Shared Path through to Eastbourne is a major leap forward for pioneers of Wellington’s visionary Great Harbour Way/Te Aranui o Pōneke trail.
Projects
Projects
Tupua Horo Nuku Eastern Bays Shared Path - project update
Tupua Horo Nuku Eastern Bays Shared Path - project update
About this project
About this project
The Tupua Horo Nuku project involves the construction of a 4.4-kilometre walking and cycling path along Marine Drive between Ngāu Matau (Point Howard) and Eastbourne. The path will provide a safer route for those walking and cycling in the area; encourage these active modes of transport which will help reduce congestion and improve health and well-being; and better connect local communities between the bays, as well as join up with other trails in the Hutt City walking and cycling network.
A new seawall is also being built along the corridor which will be the platform for the path and improve the resilience of Marine Drive by providing protection against storms and waves, along with coastal erosion.
The name Tupua Horo Nuku evokes the narrative of the Tupua (spiritual phenomena) called Ngake, one of the two creators of Wellington Harbour in traditional Māori narrative. The name was gifted to the project by Te Atiawa Taranaki Whānui, as part of the partnership between iwi and Hutt City Council.
Futher information on this project can be found at this Hutt City Council webpage
Project updates (June 2023)
Project updates (June 2023)
Construction on-going at Mā-koromiko with foundations now complete
Over half of precast seawall units been installed and beginning to install capping beams ahead of pavement works
First Bird Protection Area has been established at HW Shortt Park
Detailed design plans for Mahina Bay and York Bay have been finalised and are now awaiting certification
Service and survey investigations ongoing in the northern bays to inform design in these areas
Received confirmation of funding for remaining bays from Waka Kotahi. Now awaiting approval from Crown Infrastructure Partners.
Works will now be taking place across two bays at once, with construction beginning in Sunshine Bay in June
Community Open Day held at Mā-koromiko on 18th June to allow public to view seawalls up close
Te Ara Tupua (Ngā Ūranga to Pito-One section) - project update
Te Ara Tupua (Ngā Ūranga to Pito-One section) - project update
About this project
About this project
The Ngā Ūranga to Pito-One section of Te Ara Tupua will be built on the harbour’s edge from Ngauranga Interchange to Honiana Te Puni Reserve in Petone and connect with the new Pito-One to Melling section.
The project will provide a safe and attractive route for walking and cycling between the two cities, and a new resilient coastal edge protecting the road and rail. It is being delivered in partnership with iwi mana whenua, Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika, and Ngati Toa Rangatira.
Further information can be found at this Waka Kotahi webpage
Project updates (June 2023)
Project updates (June 2023)
The project is progressing well with the detailed design well advanced for most areas of the project, and early milestones being reached. Work is well underway for the first offshore construction along the coastline with the temporary wharf at Karanga Point nearly completed alongside SH2. The first offshore habitat is also nearly completed, with works about to start on the second offshore habitat shortly. Early works include preparing to construct the first sections of revetment at Pito-One and Ngā Ūranga moving along the coast from the two ends.
The yards at both Ngā Ūranga and Honiana Te Puni Reserve are now established, which includes a new site office. Materials of natural rock continue to arrive, and the concrete blocks known as x-blocs are being manufactured within the region at Otaki. The first load of x-blocs will arrive at Honiana Te Puni Reserve for testing late this month.
The Tāwharau Pods are completed and is a significant milestone for iwi mana whenua. Construction on the new Water Ski / Rowing shared clubs building is progressing well, with two pours of concrete completed, and walls starting to be installed. The Tāwharau Pod Information Centre is expected to open to the public over winter, with the new Clubs building expected to be completed later this year.
The new shared path at Honiana Te Puni Reserve is currently under construction, with the programme brought forward following feedback from the cycling community stakeholders. This will be the first section of the new shared path to be completed, meaning cyclists will no longer need to use the path on top of the Reserve’s seawall, with a timeline for use by the community expected to be prior to Spring.
We’re constantly monitoring the impacts to the changed cycle path layout crossing the construction site access at Ngā Ūranga, and exploring options to improve cyclist safety by considering alternative entry points for construction vehicles via the stock effluent tunnel access south of the Ngauranga underpass. This is intended to improve cyclist safety near the Ngauranga yard area. We are regularly communicating with the cycle community, in response to feedback, and to remind cyclists to slow down in this area, and take care.
Te Ara Tupua (Pito-one to Melling section) - project update
Te Ara Tupua (Pito-one to Melling section) - project update
About this project
About this project
The Pito-One (Petone) to Melling section of Te Ara Tupua is part of our investment into creating a walking and cycling link between Wellington and Lower Hutt. The project is on schedule to be complete and opened around August 2023. The project is funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and Hutt City Council, and is being delivered by contractors, Fulton Hogan.
The Pito-One to Melling section will join the Ngā Ūranga to Pito-One section and Wellington CBD to Ngā Ūranga section, which includes the Hutt Road and Thorndon Quay cycleways. It will also link to walking and cycling paths to be built as part of RiverLink.
Key features of the Pito-One to Melling section include:
rail underpasses at Pito-One and Parliament Street (near the Normandale overbridge)
a well-marked route through the Petone railway station car park
a cycle bypass for southbound cyclists at the Dowse interchange, and
a connection to the existing Hutt River Trail.
Further information can be found at this Waka Kotahi webpage
Project updates (June 2023)
Project updates (June 2023)
The Pito-One to Melling section of Te Ara Tupua is approaching completion and scheduled to open in August.
Work at Petone station park & ride car park is complete, including line marking along the shared path and cycleway.
Main cycleway route has been progressing well, with most of the cycleway having received its final surface. The remaining sections will be worked on throughout June.
Construction of the pump stations on Parliament Street and Hutt Road is ongoing.
Parliament Street is now open to two-way traffic.
We also removed the temporary traffic management from State Highway 2 in April, following the installation of the new barrier.
We’ll be finishing our work to tie in the shared pathways near the Normandale Road bridge, plus turning our attention to the installation of CCTV, lighting and signage across the route.
Evans Bay - project update
Evans Bay - project update
This section of the route goes along Oriental Parade from Carlton Gore Road and along Evans Bay Parade as far as Greta Point. The paths, seawalls and landscaping from Oriental Bay to Little Karaka Bay, and Weka Bay to Greta Point, are now complete.
Construction on the remaining section between Little Karaka and Weka bays starts in April 2023. The construction, which includes work on seawalls, will take about 18 months. When this work is complete, the last of the on-road bike lanes will be removed and people riding here will no longer have to transition between the bike path and road.
Events
Events
No events planned.
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