Kaitoke Regional Park

Kaitoke protects a stretch of mature podocarp and beech forest where the Hutt and Pakuratahi Rivers meet, and its main local use is swimming - the Hutt River pools here are clear, cold and deep enough to jump into, with a swingbridge across the gorge. Several short walks run through the forest, from twenty minutes to a few hours, and there is a campsite. The film association is what brings many visitors: the Rivendell set was built in a clearing beside the Hutt River in 1999 and removed completely afterwards, as the filming permit required. What is there now is an archway marker, some interpretation panels and a wooden frame indicating where a set piece stood. People arriving expecting to see elven architecture leave disappointed; people arriving for a river and a forest walk generally do not.

What you actually see

• The swimming holes - clear, cold Hutt River pools with a swingbridge.
• The forest - mature podocarp and beech, with short loop walks.
• The Rivendell site - a clearing, an archway marker and panels.
• The river confluence - Hutt and Pakuratahi meeting in the gorge.

When to go

December to March for swimming - the water stays cold. Walks work year-round; tracks are muddy in winter. Weekends in summer are busy with Wellington families.

Honest expectations

Nothing of the Rivendell set remains - it was fully removed by agreement. The river is cold and the current after rain is strong. Facilities are basic; the campsite books out in summer.

Nearby

Upper Hutt is south; the Rimutaka Rail Trail starts nearby.