Red Rocks - Pariwhero in Wellington

Great walk, amazing views. We saw one seal on our beautiful walk.

Peaceful and scenic walk.

We chose a super windy day (or did it choose us?to walk to the Red Rocks & beyond. Wind gusts were so strong we were sand-blasted. Would recommend on a still day. Also watch out for obnoxious 4WD drivers who show little respect for walkers or the environment. Otherwise well worth the walk.🌅🏞🚴🚶‍♀️🏃🏼‍♂️

Worth the effort always home bound with plentiful kai

Great day walk close to Wellington. Takes an hour or so to get to the seals but well worth it. Can be a lot of 4wd traffic so be wary, especially with the odd idiot. As per any part of Wellington it is prone to extreme weather, especially wind so bring warm clothes even in Summer. I walked a few more hours around the coast and stumbled upon some protected historical sand dunes and some amazing views. Is possible to walk to Makara but will leave that for another day.

There are rocks and theyre kinda red. Five stars!

Around 3 km walking from parking, lots of off road car traffic.. ideal place to do long walk..

Such a lovely coastal route to enjoy the colony of the seals and to get the views of south island. Perfect track for light 4wding.

Lovely place. One should definitely visit if they have good amount of time. Its a 45 min one-way walk as the road is only suitable for 4WD.

Great beautiful shore walk about an 40min one side, beautiful rock formation and seals resting over it

Its a very long walk to the red rock, very nice views but dont count on seeing seals and stuff because they may be none. We were lucky to see just one :)

Good and not too difficult walking track.I would recommend use a trekking shoes cause in most of the way to the red rocks there are a lot of gravel and rocks in the path.

A beautiful dog friendly walk! It has great ocean views and on a clear day you can see the south island. Its also used by 4WD enthusiasts but is reserved for walkers on a Sunday!

Great walk, lovely freedom camping spot. There are toilets which is good and I know this isnt always do able but it would be good if they were cleaned more often and the general public cleaned up after themselves more.

Nice walk or drive if you have a capable 4x4.

Nice scenic walk but very long approx 2.5km total so be prepared, great view and you can see plenty of seals

This place is accessible by walk or a 4WD from Owhiro Bay Car Park. BTW, the 4WD option is not available on Sundays!The car park has well maintained restrooms. A small mobile cafe pulls up there as well. Has a selection of Cakes, scones and Tea/Coffee.A small walk from the car-park gets you to the Red Rocks [ Pariwhero ]. You cannot miss these scattered reddish/orange colored clump of rocks. Apparently some 200 million years old! There are a few Maori legends that explain how the rocks got their color. That bit of history and other trivia is also available on display in the place next to the CarPark. Easy walk. But uneven gravel/rocky terrain. Good rugged footwear strongly recommended. Nice views out into the sea and a hill on the side. Very common to see Cook Strait Ferries come in and out of Wellington. Quite exposed to high winds, so windproof layers are also a must.Past the Red Rocks, the road carries on to Sinclairs Head. Along the way, you pass the "Devils Gate". Which is a real test for how good your 4WD Vehicle is, if your are driving on.Past this point, there is a high chance of spotting Fur Seals. I have spotted a few during my walks. Seen Ducks, Gulls and Shags out there.

Really nice. Bit of a walk, but do able. Walkers have right of way only on Sundays as thats when the road is closed for vehicles. Please move over when you see a 4x4 coming as if you loose momentum you will loose traction. Thanks

Seal spotting, Red Rocks, Devils Gate awesome experience

Lovley place for a good hike. Place is studded with great rock formations. Multiple marine mammals also reported in the area from seals to whales. Must visit

My first experience to Red Rocks a few days ago, was more of a hard slog through hard gravel and deep sand, rather than a nice pleasant coastal walk as we were first lead to believe.It took us a long almost one hour trek from where we parked our car to the Devils Gate. Saw a few seals lying on the rocks on our way there. Of course we encountered the famous red colour rocks there which was a highlight of our long arduous trek.It was becoming quite cold and unpleasant and dark by the time we got back to our car around 5pm.It definitely seemed to be tougher walking back than going there.So my advise is go earlier around midday on a nice pleasant warmish sunny day instead...... as we arrived at 3.00pm. Make sure you wear warmish winter clothing also as it can become quite cold there!!

Great place. Walking is great, so is driving. Quite challenging drive. Car drivers will love. Lovely place to watch seals live.

It has a beautiful views but I thought that there were more to see, the views on the way there is amazing!

The scenery was decent but the sand and gravel along the beach wasnt suitable for walking. The off-road track was compact and better for walking but its narrow in parts leaving you to compete with the numerous 4WD drives traversing, so I wouldnt say its child friendly at all. I wish people would get out of their vehicles and walk if they want to enjoy nature.

This place`s good & awesome. you can take a rest on beach or you can hike~

Its a nice coastal 2 hr round trip walk at a moderate pace. The highlight is the fur seal colony at Sinclair Head / Devils Gate, easily saw around 100 of them chilling on the rocks and blocking the walkway as well. Really cool to see these animals up close, spent one hour there taking great pictures and could have easily spent more time. Wear or bring some warm clothing just in case, colder in the shade but I was lucky to experience sunshine. Park at the lot, 4WD can go a bit further but wouldnt recommend given the road conditions.

Gravel walk what takes you through the rocks. Can get very windy, but walk is easy. I suggest to bring water with you and enjoy beautiful views. I didnt have that luck to see seals, so you should check it up when is the season, if you primary want to see seals. Far as I know in this place you might be able to see glimpse of Aurora Australis, but better check up Aurora forecast first.

Rode my bike here on the way to look at the seals, though more accurately I walked alongside my bike, due to the traction on the stones on the beach, definitely more walker friendly than bike. Well worth it though, its an awesome beach surrounded by awesome mountain ranges.

Beautiful walk along the coast, about the red rock... not so nice after all, better enjoy the journey rather than the destination

Great little walk :have some comfy shoes with you! Fun to see some seals and nice scenery!

Really lovely walk. The path is pretty level so nice to stroll along at whatever pace you like.

Beautiful walk. If you bring the kids - be prepared, its along walk from the car park to to the seals/ red-rocks. About 4k there, and obviously 4km back. Do bring water, especially in summer, but even in Winter. Had to carry the little ones on the way back for a good chunk of the trip. But the going is easy, mostly level, but rocky. Breathtaking scenery. The kids loved seeing the seals, but remember theyre only there for part of the year so check first. Theyre hard to spot at first as theyre quite camouflaged! But you can get reasonably close. Be prepared for their natural "smell". You might want to eat afterwards or before! Parking was a little limited on the weekends so better to get there earlier if you want to find a park. In Winter, arriving at 10 am would be perfect with kids. Saw a few people on mountain bikes - that could be fun. Best to go when there is a northerly as youll be protected by the hills. If you go in a southerly be prepared to keep warm!

Really wonderful and amazing. Good walk to get there but well worth it and a few walking tracks around .

Great walk!! Beautiful views and you can see upper south island as well.

Was a very enjoyable and beautiful walk. Would visit again in the winter when the seals come out.

Stunning piece of nature. Rocks and seals. Fish and wind. A bit odd loaded paradise on the worlds edge.

Highly recommended if you want to be relax .. don’t forget some snacks..🍫🧁

Great walk, strong wind.

It is a long nice walk (I recall 30-40 mins)... be prepared with food and stuff. You can go with a 4 wheeler. The drive is a little bit rough. Be wary of incoming vehicles as some parts are narrow. Seeing seals in person is so lovely.Highly recommended. Its worth renting a 4x4 for this day if u r not into walking. My family was so tired after the ling walk. I was still having my old Sedan car when I went there.

A uniquely beautiful seaside attraction. If you enjoy hiking, there are plenty of tracks leading to the Red Rocks from the hills. Its simply a place of incredible nature and tranquility.

Simply beautiful. Unique rock formation. No, u wont see fur seals at the Red Rocks. Once u reached the Red Rocks, u need to walk further until u reach the Devils Gate (an eroded U-shaped big rocks). Beyond the Devils gate is where u will find the fur seals colony lazing around. FYI, fur seals can only be seen there between May and Oct. It was a rocky walkway but safe, wear a good footwear. Pls give some space to the fur seals (at least 20m as per recommended by DOC). Witnessed a tourist that went too close to a fur seal just for the sake of taking video/photo and this had prompted the fur seal to groan aggressively. Pls dont behave uncivilizedly like this tourist.

Good time of the year to get out at the moment as many of the NZ fur seals are in and relaxing on the beach, just dont get too close... its against the law. for those who are a little less mobile it is possible to drive there, but it is definitely a 4 wheel drive road and requires a reasonable skill level to drive it.

Beautiful place. If you are doing the tracks take hiking boots. The stones on the beach will tear your shoes off.

It is a long walk from the car park and walk through the bay was beautiful.If the climate is fine, you can have a nice time. If you walk from red rock a little bit more, you may find a group of seals(if u r lucky).

A magic walk on our door step! A beautiful and wild coast. Worth walking or mountainbiking 😀

And just beyond are where seals hang out. Named after the distinctive red rocks in this particular spot. Morning & midday walks are best as it can get a little cold in the shade walking home. Dont do this walk if the wind is likely to get strong - the sand & wee stones will get into your eyes and all through your hair. 10km return trip

Is nice 30 minutes walk awesome views

Absolutely amazing place to visit along with family and friends. Perfect for big group and family with children. The walk of 6 km (To and frois mesmerising view of sea and mountain. During winter specially in September you can see the seals as well. The red rocks are beautiful and clean water is amazing too. You can drive only if you have 4 wheel drive to this place. Little further than red rocks is a good picnic spot.

Great walk - they werent any seals when we visited but the red rocks alone are worth seeing

Good walk next to beautiful ocean! do not drive unless you have a really good high four wheel driving car! Be careful of the wind!