Wilton, Wellington: Suburb Guide to Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Native Garden and Forest

Wilton is a residential suburb on Wellington’s western hills, adjacent to Karori. It developed around farming and early European settlement in the Kaiwharawhara valley, with much of the surrounding land cleared in the nineteenth century. The suburb retains a green, leafy character thanks to the large native forest reserve at its heart.

Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush combines protected original forest with curated native plant collections representing species from across New Zealand. The site includes gullies, streams, a canopy walkway, picnic areas, and the Tāne Whakapiripiri Visitor Centre. It supports conservation, research, education, and recreation under four main themes managed by Wellington Gardens.

The reserve is home to around 1,200 native plant species, hybrids, and cultivars. Native birds such as tūī, kererū, kākā, fantails, and grey warblers are commonly seen, with occasional visitors from the nearby Zealandia ecosanctuary. Predator control and revegetation work help maintain the forest’s health.

The Māori name Ōtari (short for Ōtarikākā) means “place of snares,” reflecting its traditional use as a mahinga kai area for trapping birds. Settler Job Wilton arrived in Wellington in 1841 as a child.

In the 1860s he and his wife purchased land in the valley and deliberately set aside and fenced approximately 6.9 hectares of untouched native forest near their homestead to protect it from stock and clearance.

In 1906 the government purchased 54.5 hectares from Māori owners in the Ōtari Native Reserve and designated it a scenic reserve. The land transferred to Wellington City Council in 1918 for recreation and preservation of native flora.

Botanist Leonard Cockayne and parks director J.G. Mackenzie developed the site from 1926 as the Ōtari Open-Air Native Plant Museum, establishing collections organised by family and representative ecosystems.

The reserve was renamed Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush in 2000 to recognise both Māori and European contributions to its protection. A major redevelopment in the late 1990s added the canopy walkway, alpine garden, and improved visitor facilities, officially opened in 1999.

Visitors can explore walking tracks through the forest and gardens, including paths along the Kaiwharawhara Stream and a tree-top canopy walkway. The site features a fernery, ponga grove, harakeke (flax) collection, and seasonal displays of rātā and kōwhai. Picnic areas and the visitor centre provide facilities for day visits.

The reserve is free to enter and suitable for a range of abilities on main paths, though some tracks are steeper. It is popular for quiet walks, birdwatching, and learning about native plants. Regular pest control and volunteer work support ongoing restoration.