The top of Colonial Knob (a.k.a. Rangituhi) has some incredible panoramic views. It’s tough work to get there, but it’s worth it.

There are two Colonial Knob Walkway routes (plus several unofficial routes), which offer incredible views.

This post will focus on what I consider the better of the two (I think most would agree). It’s the route starting from Elsdon Camp trailhead.

It’s an out and back walk to the summit, though you can make it a loop walk if you’d like. Either way, over the 8km you’ll have over 400 metres of elevation with a mixture of bush and open-air walking.

This post will give you the important details such as how to get there, details, and what to expect, along with a bunch of photos.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Details About The Colonial Knob Walkway
2. Colonial Knob Walkway Map
3. How To Get The Trailhead
4. My Colonial Knob Walkway Experience

1. DETAILS ABOUT THE COLONIAL KNOB WALKWAY (ELSDON CAMP ENTRANCE)

Is the Colonial Knob walkway worth it?

Yes! This hike has a bit of everything. There’s the forest jammed with native trees, viewpoints, and it’s a good achievable distance.

When I rate a hike I try to think of any negatives, and there are no major downsides. There’s a couple of points where it’s slightly confusing where to go, and it would be nice if there was more information about the area.

So it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn great and I’d consider it off the beaten path.

p.s. The summit is not a nice place to be on a bad weather day.

How long is the Colonial Knob walkway?

It’s ~7.65km return (to the summit) according to my Strava map. The sign at the entrance has it at 3.8km one way, 7.6km return, so that’s confirming what I see on my data.

How hard is the Colonial Knob walkway?

Medium to hard. With 600+ steps in less than 2km it’s a good workout that’s for sure. Thankfully it’s shaded and you can avoid going down them if you like.

What is the elevation profile/gain?

There’s about a 436 metre elevation gain in total, 90% of this is on the way to the 468 metre summit.

Here’s the Colonial Knob elevation profile:

How long does the Colonial Knob walkway take?

It took me 2 hours and 3 minutes to walk up to the summit and back. That includes 5-10 minutes chilling at the summit. That’s on the quicker side.

The signs say it’ll take 1-2 hours each way. So plan for up to 4 hours depending on your fitness and how relaxed you take it.

How many steps on the Colonial Knob walkway?

I counted 685 stairs, but I could be wrong. Let’s say between 600 and 700.

Are dogs allowed on Colonial Knob?

No, dogs are not allowed on Colonial Knob Reserve.

2. COLONIAL KNOB WALKWAY MAP

The map above is a screenshot of the Colonial Knob Walkway (Elsdon Camp) from Maps.me.

You can also use this Google Map:

3. HOW TO GET THE TRAILHEAD

The easiest way to get to the trailhead is by car.

CAR

There’s a free car park available, and if it happens to be full, plenty of free roadside parking available.

The car park address is 18 Raiha Street, Porirua.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The best way to get to the trailhead is by walking from Porirua or Keneperu Stations. The trains on the Kapiti line are frequent, and while you can get a bus from the station slightly closer to the trailhead it’s going to take about the same time to walk the ~2km. It does add to your total walking distance, but it’s a low key walk.

4. MY COLONIAL KNOB WALKWAY EXPERIENCE

I’ve been on pretty much every trail within the Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve, but crikey, I’d forgotten just how many stairs there are going up from the Elsdon Campground (and yes you do start by walking through Porirua Scenic Reserve…yea, I was confused too).

Note: The other Colonial Knob Walkway starts about 500 metres south of the camp and follows a 4WD track the whole way up. There are no stairs involved so it has that going in its favour, but there’s no native bush. And 4WD tracks aren’t as fun.

I love seeing silver ferns and kawakawa. So yes, I think the native bush is the reason the Camp Elsdon route is the most popular.

Anyhow, back to my experience.

I walked to the trailhead from my friend’s place and was surprised by the number of cars in the carpark for a Thursday morning. You’ll cross a bridge over a small stream, and at the T-junction, you turn left onto the Colonial Knob Walkway.

Turning right gets you to the same spot but it’s a long gradual climb, better for those not confident on their stair fitness, but you’ll be sharing tracks with mountain bikers.

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Anyway, we’ve turned left and the track is easy to follow through the native bush, with a full canopy of trees above you. The path is well-formed, with roots and rocks making it ever so slightly technical.

The gentle undulations for the first few hundred metres should be enjoyed, as you’ll soon have a battle on your hands.

I tried to count the stairs on my way back down, and ended up with 685. So the final number is likely between 600 and 700. That’s a lot of stairs to navigate over 1.5km-ish.

The whole time you’re climbing the stairs (there are gaps to walk between the sets of stairs), you’re going to be in the bush so I didn’t find myself overheating.

It’s a great test for your fitness levels. I loved it. There were plenty of regulars coming down as I made my way up but that’s no problem as there’s plenty of space to make way for each other.

The steps aren’t big so while there are heaps, your calves won’t hate you too much. Once you get to the top of the stairs, you’ll find yourself coming out of the native canopy shortly after onto a gravel trail.

This section lasts a few minutes before you get to the Colonial Knob intersection. On your left there’s a lookout less than 50 metres away. It’s worth a quick walk too as you haven’t had any views to this point, and the view over the inlets are stunning.

Once you’ve done that, continue walking toward the 4WD track you can see above. Turn right. This will take you all the way to the summit about 2km away. With just over 100 metres of vert remaining (it’s undulating) the hard work is done…although the weather is the big variable here as it’s mighty exposed to the wind.

You’ll cross two stiles in between marveling at all the views as they come and go.

There’s no rhyme or reason to knowing whether there’ll be sheep and cows on the track. If there is, do your best to let them be…there was sheep next to the track on my most recent visit.

There’s a steep section right before the summit which is over and done with in a minute or two, a nice little stinger to finish.

At the summit are some reservoirs from the 19th century, no longer in use. You can’t go in, but there’s a couple of spots to sit and take in the 360-degree views at the summit (no toilets up here, there’s only the toilet next to the car park).

Once you’ve finished at the summit, it’s time to make your way back down the way you came. If you want to have a big day of adventures you could go down a different route, even over to Mount Kaukau, but most of you will be driving so you’ll need to go back via the stairs.

If you wanted, instead of turning left to go down the stairs, you can continue walking all the way down the gravel road until you hit the road. When you do, there are only 500 metres to reach the car park (turn left). This is an option for those who hate walking downstairs.

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The Colonial Knob Walkway is off the beaten path for most tourists, as are most walks in Porirua. Porirua isn’t exactly on the list of the top places to visit when travelling NZ, but don’t let that stop you.

The views are so epic on a nice day as you’ll have seen from the photos (there are a few more snaps below too).

If you have any questions about the Colonial Knob walk, feel free to leave a comment below or email jub@churnewzealand.com

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