Te Ara Tupua

The name of the project, Te Ara Tupua (path of the ancients), derives from the legend of Whātaitai and Ngake, two mythological creatures who fought and in the process created various landforms around Wellington. Points along the cycleway will commemorate former pā sites, locations, and chiefs significant to local Māori, and Māori design concepts will be integrated into the project. Te Āti Awa chief Hōniana Te Puni will be commemorated at Honiana Te Puni Reserve at the north end of the Petone foreshore, and his cousin Te Wharepōuri will be remembered in the design of the cycleway bridge over rail tracks at Ngauranga. == Melling to Petone ==

The section of the path between Melling and Petone is long and about wide, and is for cycling only. It was officially opened on 16 October 2023. The path runs alongside an existing rail route and includes two underpasses under the tracks. It links at Petone railway station to the Hutt River Trail, a cycling and walking trail along the river. Construction was funded by NZTA using the government's Urban Cycleways Fund established in 2014, and Hutt City Council. Difficulties caused by geotechnical issues and the need to move underground rail and telecommunication utilities led to the final cost increasing to $65 million, making it "one of the most expensive" cycleways in New Zealand at that time. While cyclists welcomed the path, some were apprehensive about aspects of the design. The path goes through the car park at Petone railway station and passengers leaving the station step directly on to the cycleway. == Petone to Ngauranga ==

The Petone to Ngauranga section of the path is funded mainly by NZTA, with some funding from Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council. As of October 2023, work on this section was expected to cost $312 million. The shared cycling and walking path will connect to the cycleway from Melling to Petone, and run along the harbour front next to the rail lines from Honiana Te Puni Reserve to the Ngauranga Interchange. • Piki Wahine – a hill above Ngauranga where women and children foraged for food • Tahataha Roa – a beach used for landing waka (canoes), which was destroyed in the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake • Paroro-rangi Point – formerly a small Te Āti Awa settlement • Karanga Point – Pari-karangaranga or 'Cliff of Echoes'. Māori are said to have passed along the narrow beach while listening to the voice of a female spirit up in the steep hills. Sloping embankments into the water, known as revetments, will protect the path from wave erosion, which has previously been a problem along this part of the coastline. The revetments will be built of boulders or concrete. Six segments of the path will be protected with vertical seawalls instead of revetments, to protect areas of beach gravel that are special habitat areas for birds. Two piles of boulders offshore provide islets for bird life. An artificial reef constructed from 54 pyramid-like grids of concrete, which will allow water to flow through and around the pyramids, replaces the rocky shore lost during construction. This will provide a habitat for algae, seaweed, and animals such as crayfish, shellfish and kina. Construction began in March 2023 with creation of the islets for birds and a temporary wharf at Karanga Point for unloading supplies. By October 2025, 27 culverts had been installed along the path. Four of these are for streams: Waihinahina Stream that flows down from Horokiwi Quarry, Gilberd Bush Stream from Gilberd Bush in Newlands, and two unnamed, intermittent streams that flow during heavy rain. Other culverts handle runoff from the road and railway. At Ngauranga a bridge will be built over the railway lines, wide and strong enough for emergency vehicular traffic. == Ngauranga to Wellington CBD ==

The Ngauranga to central Wellington section of Te Ara Tupua is planned to run from the Ngauranga Interchange, along Hutt Road and Thorndon Quay to Bunny Street near Wellington railway station. Parts of the Hutt Road have had upgraded walking and cycling paths built, and other changes were planned by Let's Get Wellington Moving (LGWM), an organisation controlled by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Wellington City Council and NZTA. Changes planned for Thorndon Quay have proved controversial. In 2021, the number of car parks was reduced by 50%, which led local businesses to complain that the plan was not well thought out and that they were losing customers. Further changes to car parking, installation of cycle lanes, bus priority lanes, and more pedestrian crossings are planned in the final design, with construction beginning late in 2023. In June 2023, LGWM advised Wellington City Council that the cost of the works on Thorndon Quay had increased from $77m in February 2022 to $94m. The increase was due to more detailed designs, scope change and inflation. NZTA is funding 51% of the project, with the remainder of about $46m funded by Wellington City Council. == See also ==