Percy's Reserve - Waterfall Track

Relax with a picnic on the lawns in front of the duck pond while the kids run around in a contained area surrounded by paths and forest. Little feet exploring a little further can also find a historic water wheel once powering a flour mill and 15 minutes further up the forest valley the highlight of the park is the slim and tall waterfall. Those with brave little feet will also discover a short cave. Keep your eyes peeled for things with big bodies, spiny legs and curved tusks - many wētā call this cave home. Often referred to as “Percy’s” it’s part of a connected network of reserves in the hill suburbs of Korokoro and Maungaraki that adults will admire as much as the kids. The reserve gardens contain a nursery raising native species to support the natural regeneration in the valley and being an important collection of rare and endangered plants from the Wellington region and from other threatened ecosystems across New Zealand such as Mt Burnett, the Chatham Islands and other offshore islands. The collection developed from the interests of the Percy family, who lived here from the 1840s until 1939 and includes over 1000 species and varieties in the alpine rockery and the potted alpine collection of botanist AP Druce. They gifted the reserve to the government in 1939 and officially opened to the public on the 7 February 1949.

Driving: Access and parking is off Dowse Drive (Maungaraki), adjacent to the Dowse interchange on State Highway 2 (2km north of Petone and 2km south of Lower Hutt CBD). Parking area is locked at dusk. There is provision for bus turning and parking. Disabled parking provided. Bus: To Dowse Drive catch either bus number 150 from Petone Railway Station (at the western end of Jackson Street, Petone) or bus number 150 from Lower Hutt, Queensgate (Stop B). Train: Exit at Petone Railway Station, walk over the pedestrian over-bridge onto the western side of State Highway 2 or catch bus number 150 to Dowse Drive.

This track is part of the Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa track database. Herenga ā Nuku has maps and advice about public access to the outdoors . We encourage you to continue gaining the skills and knowledge required for a safe trip. The NZ Mountain Safety Council has lots of free resources and information you can use. These can be accessed via www.mountainsafety.org.nz . We recommend trying these online learning tools: Trip Planning Tramping/field Skills Basic Navigation River Safety Additionally, check out the range of helpful videos available from the NZ Mountain Safety Council YouTube channel .