Brooklyn wind turbine Wellington walk
Get a detailed description, photos, and a video of the walk to the Brooklyn wind turbine in Wellington, which offers scenic views of the city and surroundings.
The Brooklyn wind turbine walk is a 1.45 km (0.9 mi) hike up to a wind turbine in Brooklyn in Wellington, New Zealand.
This walk is easily accessible from Wellington City center, and there are several ways you can get to the start of this Wellington walk.
To get to the start of the Brooklyn wind turbine walk in Wellington, you could:
- Drive if you have a car.
- Catch the bus and then walk. It will cost you around $6.50 with bus 7 to Ohiro Road at Cleveland Street and then bus 17 from Brooklyn Village – Cleveland Street to Karepa Street opposite Ashton Fitchett Drive; check out metlink.org.nz for more info.
- Walk from Wellington’s CBD (Central Business District).
The third option was taken for the walk described in this article.
The Brooklyn wind turbine walk is ideal if you’re staying in any of the Wellington hotels in the city center.
Walking the Wind Turbine Track in Wellington, New Zealand
The start of the walk described in this article begins at the southern end of Willis Street in Wellington, New Zealand.
You’ll be standing at the junction of Willis Street with Nairn Street and Brooklyn Road. Go right on Brooklyn Road and walk up Brooklyn Road. On your way up you’ll pass the main entrance to Central Park and then a tennis center on your right. Brooklyn Road is steep but not excessively steep.
Once you reach the top of Brooklyn Road, you’ll come up to the junction with Ohiro Road [Photo: Street signs at the junction of Brooklyn Road and Ohiro Road in Wellington (67 KB)].
Go left on Ohiro Road until you reach the junction with Todman Street. Cross the street at the traffic lights and then continue up Todman Street. Todman Street is another steep street and slightly steeper than Brooklyn Road.
Once you reach the junction with Mitchell Street, go left on Mitchell Street at the hairpin turn and continue walking until you see Karepa Street on your right.
While you’re walking on Karepa Street, do not miss the colorful and large houses on the top of the hill.
In summer you’ll also see many flowers in the bushes alongside the road [Photos: Houses on the hill in Wellington (60 KB), Flowers in summer in Wellington (64 KB)].
Continue on Karepa Street until you reach the junction with Ashton Fitchett Drive.
Go left on Ashton Fitchett Drive until you see a brown sign for the Wind Turbine on your right, which together with a Polhill Reserve sign marks the start of the actual trail up to the wind turbine [Photo: Polhill Reserve sign at the Wind Turbine trail head (66 KB)].
After a short walk up the wind turbine trail, you’ll already start to enjoy scenic views of Wellington City and Wellington suburbs. Just remember to stop and look behind you and to your right when walking up the track [Photo: First scenic views from the wind turbine walk (65 KB)].
The track soon levels off a bit and you’ll come up to a junction and the big fence of the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary [Photo: Fence of the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand (54 KB)].
Going right at this junction will take you back down to Aro Valley and Highbury, while going left will take you up to the wind turbine. You obviously want to go left here [Photo: Trail junction on the Polhill Reserve in Wellington (51 KB)].
On your way up to the wind turbine, you’ll find sections of the track that either run parallel to the road that also goes up the hill or with openings that allow you to see the eastern side of Wellington [Photo: Wellington City views from the wind turbine walk (59 KB)].
You’ll hear birds singing in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, crickets in summer, and on very hot days you’ll get a nice smell from the few pine trees along the track.
After approximately 30 to 40 minutes of mostly uphill walking, you’ll reach the top of the hill where you’ll find information panels describing energy generation in New Zealand [Photo: Information panels near the wind turbine (43 KB)], the wind turbine itself [Photo: (Old) Brooklyn wind turbine in Wellington (15 KB)], and of course the scenic views of Wellington City, Wellington Harbour, and of the hills and mountains surrounding Wellington [Photo: Scenic Views from the Brooklyn wind turbine location in Wellington (50 KB)].
Note that the Brooklyn wind turbine has been replaced in recent years, so the wind turbine you see will differ from the wind turbine displayed in image in this article.
And for you photographers out there, don’t forget to bring a long lens so that you can zoom in a bit to get a better composition for those scenic Wellington City views from afar [Photo: Wellington City and Harbour close-up view (71 KB)].
Final words of caution:
The track is a mixture of good dirt and gravel. Some sections have been eroded by rain, so there are deep grooves in some areas. The most difficult part of the track is probably walking back down, especially on the loose rocks on the parts of the track that are very steep. Just take your time and watch your footing on your way down.
Basic info for the Brooklyn wind turbine Wellington walk
| Trail length: | 3.2 km (2 mi) to the trail head from the Southern end of Willis Street in Wellington, then 1.45 km (0.9 mi) to the Brooklyn wind turbine. |
| Walking time: | 45 – 60 minutes to the trail head, then 30 – 40 minutes to the Brooklyn wind turbine. On the way back you’ll probably take half as much time, so 20 minutes down the trail, then 30 minutes back to the start of the walk. |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
| Trail type: | Sidewalk, then well-formed gravel track; well signposted. |
| Trail condition: | Good. The trail is a gentle climb uphill on a well-formed multi-use track. It is very steep in some parts, but generally providing an easy climb. Some parts of the trail are deeply rutted due to rain and erosion. Take care on the parts that have loose rocks and watch your footing on the way down. |
| Fitness level: | Moderate to high |
| Best time to walk: | After midday |
| What you’ll see: | Scenic views of Wellington City, Wellington Harbour, surrounding hills and mountains, and Cook Strait |
You can see the route you will have to walk from the southern end of Willis Street to the location of the Brooklyn wind turbine displayed on this Google map.
Video of the Brooklyn wind turbine walk in Wellington
This 3-minute video gives you an impression of what to expect on this scenic city walk up to the Brooklyn wind turbine in Wellington, New Zealand.
Note that the Brooklyn wind turbine is not the only wind turbine in Wellington. There are several other accessible wind turbine walks around Wellington on the North Island of New Zealand.
This article falls under Day Walks.
Note: Walking tracks and trails can be changed or get closed. The information presented here was accurate when it was gathered.
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