Rural and Coastal Edge Suburbs

Horokiwi Wellington: Semi-Rural Northern Suburb

Last updated October 2026

Horokiwi is an outer northern suburb of Wellington that sits in the hills between the city and the Hutt Valley. The area is semi-rural with a small population spread across hill country and reached by a single road.

The suburb features houses, farms and the longstanding Horokiwi Quarry as its main commercial operation. Its quiet character and older median age reflect a settled rural lifestyle within easy reach of urban centres.

Official Suburb Facts

The official Horokiwi boundary. Boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.
Population (2023 Census)
About 190, about the same as 2018
Land area
7.13 km²
Location
10.5 km north-east of central Wellington
Council
Wellington City Council
Local details
Getting there
Horokiwi Road, off the northbound lane of State Highway 2 (the Petone to Wellington motorway); the only road in
Nearby landmarks
Horokiwi Quarry, Belmont Regional Park
Boundary, area and neighbours: LINZ, CC BY 4.0. Population: Stats NZ 2023 Census usually resident population, CC BY 4.0, summed from the statistical areas inside the boundary.

Who Lives in Horokiwi

About 190 residents in 70 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.

Getting to work
Drive or get a lift
64%NZ 70%
Bus, train or ferry
5%NZ 5%
Walk or cycle
3%NZ 6%
Work from home
31%NZ 18%
Source: Stats NZ 2023 Census, CC BY 4.0. Figures are summed from the census areas inside the official Horokiwi boundary. Percentages are of the people or homes that answered each question; a figure is left out when fewer than 100 answered.

Schools in Horokiwi

There is no school inside the Horokiwi boundary, but these schools have enrolment zones that cover some or all of it.

Zoned for Horokiwi

P
Bellevue School (Newlands)Years 1 to 6 · State · co-ed
Roll 245Zone covers part of this suburb
P
Korokoro SchoolYears 1 to 8 · State · co-ed
Roll 200Zone covers part of this suburb
P
Sacred Heart School (Petone)Years 1 to 8 · State-integrated · co-ed
Roll 163Zone covers part of this suburb
Show all 5 zoned schools
S
Hutt Valley High SchoolYears 9 to 13 · State · co-ed
Roll 2,001Zone covers part of this suburb
S
St Oran's CollegeYears 7 to 13 · State-integrated · girls
Roll 502Zone covers this suburb
See school zones on the Wellington Schools map

Source: Ministry of Education school directory and enrolment zones (CC BY 4.0 and CC BY 3.0 NZ), October 2026. Zones change, so confirm with the school before relying on one.

Bin Day in Horokiwi

Wellington City Council sets collection days street by street. Look up your address to get your day and which bins go out.

Find your bin day and what goes in each bin

Safety and Hazards

💧
FloodingAbout 4% of the land in Horokiwi is in the council's mapped flood areas (the District Plan flood hazard overlays: inundation areas, overland flowpaths and stream corridors). Check a street on the council map before you buy.

Sources: Greater Wellington tsunami evacuation zones; Wellington City District Plan 2024 flood hazard overlays.

Weather and Rent at a Glance

Sunshine2,094 hrsa year
Summer high21°Caverage, February
Winter high12°Caverage, July
Typical rent$595 a weekmedian, all homes, Wellington City

Sources: NIWA climate averages 1991-2020 (via Figure.NZ); Tenancy Services rental bond data (MBIE), CC BY 4.0, September 2025 to August 2026. City-wide figures.

About Horokiwi

Horokiwi sits in the hills north of Wellington and is reached solely by Horokiwi Road, which climbs from the P...

Horokiwi sits in the hills north of Wellington and is reached solely by Horokiwi Road, which climbs from the Petone–Wellington motorway and winds into the valley. There is no other access point.

The suburb is semi-rural, with houses and farms spread across the hillsides, and the main commercial feature is Horokiwi Quarry, which has operated since the 1920s extracting greywacke rock.

The Horokiwi and Korokoro area has a longer history as a travel corridor. Māori used routes through this terrain to move between the Hutt Valley and Porirua, following natural landforms. European settlers in the early 19th century also travelled on well-used old Māori tracks in the district. That passage-like quality still defines the area today.

With a median age of 50.7 years against the national figure of 38.1, Horokiwi’s population skews noticeably older. In the 2023 census, most residents identified as European, with smaller proportions identifying as Māori or Asian. The median income was $68,200, higher than the national median.

The only access to Horokiwi is via Horokiwi Road, which runs for approximately 6.5 km and eventually reaches Belmont Regional Park.

Since 2010 the road has been accessible only from the northbound lane of State Highway 2, creating detours for some residents. The road offers scenic views of Lower Hutt, Wellington Harbour and northern suburbs such as Tawa and Grenada North.

Near Horokiwi

Just outside Horokiwi, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.

Places

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Businesses

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Where to Learn More

Horokiwi on Wikipedia: detailed background on geography, history, demographics and access.

Horokiwi Quarries: information on the quarry’s operations and aggregates supply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is Horokiwi?
Horokiwi is an outer northern suburb of Wellington in the hills between the city and Lower Hutt, accessed via Horokiwi Road off the Petone–Wellington motorway.

Is there only one road into Horokiwi?
Yes. Horokiwi Road is the only access to the suburb, climbing off the motorway into the valley. Since 2010 it has been accessible only from the northbound lane of State Highway 2.

Are there schools in Horokiwi?
There are no schools in Horokiwi. The suburb is zoned for Korokoro School, and most children attend schools in the Lower Hutt area.

What is the Horokiwi Quarry?
Horokiwi Quarry is the main commercial operation in the area. It is an open-cast hard rock quarry extracting and processing greywacke that has operated since the 1920s.

What is the median age in Horokiwi?
The median age was 50.7 years in the 2023 census, compared with 38.1 years nationally.

What landmarks are near Horokiwi?
Horokiwi Quarry, which has operated since the 1920s, and Belmont Regional Park, which Horokiwi Road eventually reaches.

Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.

Explore Wellington only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Horokiwi is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.