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Location & access
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route. Check the official route directions before travel.
Official location informationLocation source
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route.
Reference point: -41.34354, 174.93717. WGS84 coordinates retained at the official service's returned precision; decimal resolution is not survey accuracy. Source positional accuracy is not specified.
DOC Maps walking and tramping reference point (WGS84), exact official-page GUID / Department of Conservation. Checked 2026-10-12.
Key facts
- Distance
- 3.8 km loop
- Walking time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Track grade
- Easy
- Location
- Catchpool Valley & Ōrongorongo Valley / Remutaka Forest Park
- Seasonal restrictions
- The gate to Catchpool valley is open: 6 am – 8 pm from 28 September until 7 April 6 am – 6 pm from 8 April until 27 September
- Dog access
- Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
This easy track passes through superb groves of mature hard beech in the lower reaches of Graces Stream.
This DOC directory entry covers Five Mile Loop Track in Wellington, within Catchpool Valley & Ōrongorongo Valley / Remutaka Forest Park. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: 3.8 km loop
- Walking time: 1 hr 30 min
- DOC grade: Easy
Access and alerts
Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.
- Graces Stream Campsite permanently closed; First published on 6 October 2022. Last reviewed on 1 October 2025.
Seasonal restrictions
The gate to Catchpool valley is open: 6 am – 8 pm from 28 September until 7 April 6 am – 6 pm from 8 April until 27 September
Dog access
Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
The track climbs through an old burn, now covered in second growth forest with profuse rimu regeneration, to Clay Forks at the junction with Clay Ridge Track and Middle Ridge Track.
As the track descends into the Catchpool Valley there are good views of the distant Remutaka Range and the forest canopy of the valley.
Getting there
Catchpool valley is 12 km south of Wainuiomata. Follow the Coast Road for 10 km to the Remutaka Forest Park entrance, then follow the Catchpool valley road for 2 km to the car park and information area.
If the water is flowing over the ford on the road, park before the ford and use the Nga Taonga Nature Walk to reach the car park.
From the car park go to the downhill side, across the lawn and across the footbridge to the start of the track.
History and culture
This is the lower section of the former ‘Five Mile Track’, notorious as the ‘canal of mud’ that formed the main track between the Wainuiomata and Ōrongorongo valleys from 1914 to 1981. Today, it's a dry track that passes through superb groves of mature hard beech in the lower reaches of Graces Stream.
Sources and reuse
Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.
The accompanying photograph is published in DOC's official route gallery with an explicit reuse licence. Its original caption and credit are retained; it does not establish current track conditions.
