The Cannon Point and Birchville Dam walk is a 90-minute intermediate level trail through the hills north of Upper Hutt.

It is 8km long and passes through both private land and Greater Wellington's Akatarawa Forest. The trail starts from Tulsa Park and zigzags uphill through private land and Akatarawa Forest to the summit, where you'll find spectacular views over the Hutt Valley. It then continues along old forestry roads to the north and descends to the historic Birchville Dam.

The dam, built in 1929, supplied water to Upper Hutt until the Kaitoke Scheme started in 1954. From here, you'll continue 1 km downstream and over a suspension bridge to the end of the trail.

Getting There

You can choose to start or finish the trail from Tulsa Park or Bridge Street in Upper Hutt:

Tulsa Park
Take State Highway 2 to Upper Hutt, then turn onto Totara Park Road and continue to the end of the street.

Bridge Road
Take State Highway 2 to Brown Owl, Upper Hutt. Turn onto Akatarawa Road and continue until you see the signpost for Bridge Road. The car park is located about halfway along Bridge Road.