Wellington/Lower Hutt

The early settlers that came to Wellington in 1840 first settled by the beach at Petone and then moved up the Hutt Valley, looking for suitable land for farming. Urbanisation in the lower Hutt Valley was concentrated mainly around Petone, central Lower Hutt and Eastbourne until the Second World War. From the 1940s, the government built several new suburbs, namely Epuni, Naenae and Taita, containing thousands of state-owned houses to alleviate both pre-war and post-war housing shortages. Much of the flat land in the lower valley has now been urbanised, though the steep and relatively undeveloped valley hillsides, which are much more suited to forestry, as well as the many trees in private residential gardens, gives the city a rural feel.

Although just across Wellington Harbour from the capital, Wellington City, the Hutt Valley climate is distinctly different. Sheltered by the surrounding hills the weather is less windy and generally warmer, although winter frosts are more severe, particularly further up the valley away from the sea.

There is a regular bus service between Wellington and Lower Hutt.

• The Airport Flyer bus (route 91), which travels every 20 minutes from the Wellington Airport, through central Wellington, is an express bus service. It stops only at major bus stops in Lower Hutt; the Queensgate (Lower Hutt) bus interchange, the Alicetown shops and central Petone. This service has space for luggage in the bus, by the front seats.
• The Eastbourne bus travels from Courtenay Place in central Wellington to Eastbourne, on the other side of the harbour. Some buses travel via Jackson Street (route 81) in Petone and via the Queensgate (Lower Hutt) bus interchange (route 83). At peak time there are express commuter services direct to Eastbourne and Wainuiomata. Ask the drive before boarding if you are not certain.

Online you can use Metlink to look up bus (and train) timetables, or to find the easiest way from A to B in the Wellington region on public transport.

There is also a regular Upper Hutt–Petone service (route 110) from Upper Hutt railway station to Petone railway station via Stokes Valley Entrance, Fraser Park, and Lower Hutt Queensgate.

• State Highway 2 (SH 2) travels the length of Lower Hutt, providing access to the city from Wellington and Upper Hutt. The northern two-thirds of the highway follow the western bank of the Hutt River, before turning away from the river and following the foothills down to the western shore of Wellington Harbour. There are major intersections and bridges that provide ready access to most Hutt Valley suburbs. At most times of the day, this means it is about a half-hour trip from downtown Wellington to any Lower Hutt suburb, a distance of less than 30km. During rush hour, the journey can take an hour or more.
• State Highway 58 (SH 58) runs from the Paremata roundabout on SH1 in Porirua, travels over the Haywards Hill and joins SH2 at Manor Park.
• The Eastern Hutt Road travels from the Silverstream Bridge, at the southern end of Upper Hutt, along the eastern bank of the Hutt River. It provides ready access to the northern suburbs of Stokes Valley, Pomare and Taita.

Suburban rail services between Wellington and Lower Hutt run half-hourly for most of the day and evening. Off-peak services, 9AM-2:30PM, have reduced fares. There are also all-day and weekend passes that will allow unlimited travel on all Wellington suburban rail services.

There are two lines:

• Hutt Valley Line - Operates half-hourly most of the day, with express services at peak times. From Wellington services stop at Ngauranga, Petone, Ava, Woburn, Waterloo (or Hutt Central), Epuni, Naenae, Wingate, Taita, Pomare, Manor Park, and travel on to the Upper Hutt stations of Silverstream, Heretaunga, Trentham, Wallaceville, Upper Hutt. All units stop at Waterloo, which is the main Lower Hutt station and a bus interchange. Express peak-time Upper Hutt units next stop is Taita, then all stations. Taita units stop at all stations in the lower valley. Transfers take place at Taita station.
• Melling Line - Operates Monday to Friday during the day only. Stops at all stations from Wellington to Petone then up a branch line to Western Hutt and Melling stations. This service provides the closest stop to the Lower Hutt town centre, which is 10-20 minutes' walk from these stations.
• The express Wairarapa Connection - Operates daily morning and evening services on the same route as the Hutt Valley suburban line. It stops only at Petone and Waterloo stations in Lower Hutt. There is a $10.50 minimum fare on outbound services (from Wellington) between any intermediate Hutt Valley Line stations, to discourage intra-Hutt Valley travel on this express service. Inbound services (to Wellington) don't attract the minimum fare, and the service can be used space permitting by Hutt Valley passengers for the standard fare.

The East by West Ferry runs several times a day between Queen's Wharf in Wellington and Days Bay at Eastbourne. This is a great day trip. Restaurants, cafes, and destination shopping, lovely beach, boat hire, forest walks! The ferry will also take you to Somes/Matui Island in the middle of the harbour, another great day out with spectacular views of the city and environs. The ferry also runs to Petone.

Valley Flyer runs regular bus services throughout Lower Hutt, serving suburbs not covered by the rail network. All but one bus route converges on the Lower Hutt Queensgate bus interchange, outside the Westfield Queensgate shopping mall on the corner of Queens Drive and Bunny Street in central Lower Hutt. All buses also connect to train services at either Taita, Waterloo or Petone stations.

The main buses are:

• Eastbourne (83) connects Courtenay Place in central Wellington with Eastbourne via Petone station, Queensgate and Gracefield.
• Upper Hutt (110) connects Petone station to Upper Hutt via Queensgate, Hutt Hospital, Fraser Park and Stokes Valley Entrance.
• Stokes Valley (120) connects Queensgate with central Stokes Valley via Hutt Hospital, Taita station, and Stokes Valley entrance.
• Naenae (130) connects Petone station to Naenae town centre via Moera, Queensgate, Waterloo station, and the Naenae suburbs.
• Western Hills (150) connects Petone station with Kelson via Maungaraki, Normandale, Queensgate, Waterloo station, and Naenae.
• Wainuiomata (160/170) connects Queensgate with central Wainuiomata via Waterloo station. Bus 160 serves the northern half of Wainuiomata, while bus 170 serves the southern half.

• 🌍 Wellington Top 10 Holiday Park, 95 Hutt Park Road, Seaview, ☏ +64 4 568 5913, toll-free: 0800 948 686. $50-185. 

• 🌍 83 by the Sea Motor Lodge, 83 The Esplanade, Petone, ☏ +64 4 569 8121, toll-free: 0800 500 757. Motel accommodation on the shores of Wellington Harbour, with views of the city and sea. $135. 
• 🌍 Settlers Motor Lodge, 83-85 Hutt Rd, Petone, ☏ +64 4 939 4088, toll-free: 0800 838 583. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM. Quiet, family-run motel in the heart of Petone, 10 minutes from Wellington city and centrally located for whole Wellington region. $140-220.