Wainuiomata photos, history, and today
Wainuiomata .Net is a platform designed to honour the suburb’s rich history and chronicle the present. It also, has a special focus on the natural environment with information on parks, rivers, and bush walks. The content includes an array of professional photographs aiming to vividly portray the history and beauty of the area.
Wainuiomata is surrounded by the eastern Hutt hills, the Orongorongo range, and a rugged coastline. The resulting seclusion from the Hutt Valley gives Wainuiomata a town like feel rather than a suburb. Visitors come to enjoy nature at its finest. Activities include bush walks, mountain biking, and swimming in the Wainuiomata River.
The history of Wainuiomata starts with the topography of the land. The isolation, wetlands, and dense forests made it a difficult for settlement. However, an earthquake in 1855 elevated much of the swamp. The first pioneers came for logging and agriculture, then water management. Post WWII, housing swiftly reshaped the area into a working class neighbourhood.
Scenic reserves in Wainuiomata safeguard the distinctive podocarp forests that cover the encompassing hills. Exploring these forests is the ultimate escape from city life to serene wilderness. Destinations such as Wainuiomata Regional Park, Remutaka Forest Park, and several smaller parks are conveniently within reach for visitors.
Wainuiomata tracks and walks showcase the extensive native podocarp forests and rivers that exist here. Walks vary from easy to difficult which often just means they traverse flat or mountainous terrain. Numerous other tracks scale the hills over to the Hutt Valley and Eastbourne including some of the best mountain bike tracks in the region.
Wainuiomata rivers and creeks are plenty. Being encircled by steep hills, moisture is trapped resulting in streams and creeks that merge together to form rivers and wetlands. The Wainuiomata River is the primary waterway and is a significant water source for the Wellington region. More notable creeks include Black Creek and Wainuiomata Stream.
The Wainuiomata Waterworks has an interesting history. It was the area where Wellington city’s water was sourced, but has been scaled back today to supply around 15% – 20% of the region’s water requirements. Part of this area is now open to the public and is a popular riverside destination offering picnicking, bushwalking, and mountain biking opportunities.