Whitireia Park

About Whitireia

Whitireia Park is a headland with commanding views over Mana Island and Porirua Harbour. The park comprises around 180 hectares of predominantly open space grasslands with some native bush.

It provides leisure activities such as fishing, mountain biking, horse riding, rock climbing, bird spotting and walking. The park also provides a unique opportunity for people to undertake a variety of leisure activities in or on the water including swimming, kite surfing and diving.

Steeped in Māori history, it is believed that the anchor stone of the canoe of legendary Māori explorer, Kupe, lay on Onehunga Beach for centuries. The stone is now housed in Te Papa Museum.

Park notices

We're creating a safe place for little blue penguins

Please follow signage around the coast and keep your dogs on lead between July and February.

Penguin breeding season runs between July and February and dogs are a major threat to nesting little blue penguins in Whitireia Park. Adult penguins come ashore in winter to build a nest with chicks fledging later on in summer. Nesting boxes and natural burrows along the coastline provide safe places for them.

We are asking dog owners to make sure their pooches are kept on leash during the nesting season and then, outside of the season, kept under control at all times around the coast. Signs have been erected to point out where the most vulnerable parts of the coast are.

Please be vigilant and help us protect these little treasures. If you spot any dogs misbehaving you either kindly remind the owners of the nesting penguins or call Porirua City Council’s dog control on (04) 237 5089.

Kaitawa point gate closure: an update - Nov 2018

We’ve had a few complaints that we’ve not told people we’re closing the road to Kaitawa Point and locking the gate soon, permanently restricting vehicle access to this area. We apologise if this came as a shock to some of you and we wanted to give some more background to this change.

Not only will this closure protect this fragile coastal eco-system but it will allow native plants to establish themselves. Restricting vehicle access also means less vandalism, rubbish dumping and the lighting of fires. Closing the Kaitawa Point Road for vehicles was proposed in the Whitireia Park Management Plan 2016. Public submissions supported this course of action, and the Whitireia Park Board approved the decision to protect this area.

Park users can still access the area for recreation and walking and it will now be much safer for park users. It’s also part of a the bigger project to redevelop the whole Pou area, which we are kicking off. We do understand this closure will be of some inconvenience for a few of you but it will enhance the park experience for many people. Ongoing updates on this project will be posted on the Park News page.