Lower Hutt parkrun takes place at 8 am on Saturday in Lower Hutt, on the outskirts of Wellington on New Zealand’s North Island. The town is on the bank of the Hutt river, around 10 miles north east of downtown Wellington.

Getting There

The parkrun takes place alongside the river, close to the centre of town. Lower Hutt is just off State Highway 2. Exit the highway at Melling, cross the bridge and turn right at the roundabout. Drive along Rutherford Street, across the first roundabout and turn right into Daly Street just after King Toyota. Turn right at the next roundabout to reach the car park.

Parking

There is plenty of free parking (limited to two hours) at the Riverbank car park, 600 metres from the start. Note, there is also a farmers’ market at the Riverbank car park on Saturdays, so stick to the southern end of the car park (Daly Street entrance).

Toilets

There are no toilets at the start. So if, like me, you need a pre-race wee, you need to factor this into your arrival. The parkrun website gives directions to the nearest public toilets in Laings Road However, as there is a Countdown Supermarket opposite the car park. I went there instead – also picked up some very nice post-run baked goods.

Course

The course is a fast and flat out-and-back along the River Hutt. It has a total of 84 metres elevation. To limit congestion at the start, there are two different start points, with faster and slower runners starting in slightly different places then merging slightly further on.

Terrain

The run takes place mainly on paved paths on the riverbank. There is a short grass section at the turnaround point.

Difficulty

There are no real hills or obstacles, apart from the turn at the halfway point, so it’s a nice easy parkrun – if running 5 km at 8 am on a Saturday morning can be described as easy! There is talk on the website about the possibility of wind, but we were lucky enough to have chosen a nice, calm day.

Fun Factor

We were just passing through Lower Hutt but were made to feel very welcome. It’s a very scenic route along the riverbank, so in all, a very pleasant run.

Nearby Attractions

We were passing though Lower Hutt on our way to catch the ferry to South Island, so didn’t stay long. Lower Hutt is on the edge of Wellington, which is a nice city with a very good museum and a pleasant waterfront area. We ran Lower Hutt parkrun, followed by a quick visit to Wellington, on the final day of our 8 day North Island road trip. To reach more about what we go up to on North Island, click here.