Coast Road in Wainuiomata, connects suburbia to the rugged southern coastline of the North Island.
History
In the 1850s, the Prouse family began logging in what is now known as the Coast Road valley. James and Richard Prouse established sawmills approximately 5 km south of The Village, processing timber from the surrounding forests. Richard Prouse Senior later constructed the first Methodist Church in the Wellington region, using locally sourced tōtara wood. Since access to the church was necessary, it is reasonable to assume that Coast Road was established before its first service on 6 February 1866.
Logging activities eventually paved the way for farming, and Coast Road, originally known as Wainuiomata Valley Road, was one of the five main roads in the area before urbanization. By 1913, the road extended to the southern coastline. Today, several historic houses from that era still remain, including Scholes Cottage, the oldest home in Wainuiomata, which was built in 1865.
Today
Coast Road starts in Homedale, marked by its suburban environment. As you head south, you pass the historic Coast Road Church. This suburban stretch ends at Ngaturi Park. Moving further south, the area becomes rural, with lifestyle blocks and farming homesteads. Near 202 Coast Road, you’ll come across an old cottage with Camp Wainui (Boys Brigade) next door. Continuing, you’ll pass the Wainuiomata Golf Course and then reach the entrance to Catchpool Valley, which offers numerous scenic walks in Remutaka Forest Park. Further south, the road passes through some rugged landscapes and eventually reaches the wind-swept southern coastline of the North Island, providing a stunning outlook to the Cook Strait with views of the South Island.
I remember this road when it was gravel it was quite a good country road that could handle 4×2 trucks just, today trucks have got larger & the 8 wheeler 4 axle trailer tippers are too big for using it, there are places where they track across the centre line to get round corners simply because the road isn’t wide enough artic tippers are even worse, Wainui council used to shave corners off every year just about trying to straighten it up, it worked but then it stopped, Jackson’s had a bren carrier 1 time had a V8 flathead in it sounded good & went like stink, took it down the road 1 time & round Turakirae lotta fun but noisy, I 1st started using the road just about every weekend starting with river buggys @ the station then driving straight through in a SWB Landrover, Hi ratio 4WD gave a good grip in shingle on the road & a quick drive, 1 time I’m going down the station for work & the council had a big fleet of their trucks on the road doing a gravel relay, they just getting started & I see this brown stuff like rotten rock being spread from a truck wasn’t grey rock & thought they had something new well later that day it started to rain & @ the end of the day we couldn’t get home as it had turned to mush & you couldn’t drive through it, they had to send the grader down to blade it off, someone cocked it up.