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The Belmont Regional Park "Dress Circle", part of the Puke Ariki traverse, heading north on the ridgetops from Belmont Trig to Round Knob via the heights of Cannons Head, is a wellknown walking and biking adventure.The twists and turns of the exposed ridgeline create sheltered valleys and perched wetlands which are the sources of the streams that drain from these hills into Te Whanganui-a-tara, Porirua Harbour, Pauatahanui inlet and Te Awakairangi: Korokoro stream, Cannons Creek, Wai-o-hata/Duck Creek and Belmont Stream.
The rdigeline and sources of the Dress Circle are currently grazed. GWRC - the land manager - has a process underway currently to retire and ecologically restore various areas of Belmont Regional Park, but the Dress Circle is not included in preliminary restoration plans over the next four years. The question is, should it be?
Could retirement see a biodiverse habitat spring back, suitable for birds like pihoihoi /pipit, or will weeds predominate? Would retirement add to fire risk? Would retirement limit recreation opportunities, or would removing stock allow for investment into purpose built trails for walking/cycling? How important are the sources of these streams that flow through local forests and communities?
If these questions interest you, and you would like to join local community groups for a walk along the Dress Circle from the Airstrip towards Belmont Trig and return (with an optional return via a spectacular proposed new track contouring the western slopes) then please signal your intent to join us, and meet at the Hill Road gate on November 15th at 2pm (expected length of the outing is approx 4 hours). If weather is poor, watch this event listing for postponement details.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Belmont Regional Park - Meet Hill Road gate, 295 Hill Rd, Belmont, Lower Hutt 5010, New Zealand, Lower Hutt
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
