Karapoti Gorge is one of the entrances into the Akatarawa Forest, a regional park in the Wellington Region

Wellington Region

The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...

 in New Zealand. The Akatarawa River

Akatarawa River

The Akatarawa River is located in the lower North Island of New Zealand.It is a short river, flowing south for 20 kilometres through small rocky gorges and the Akatarawa Valley before joining the Hutt River at the northern end of Upper Hutt. Its eventual outflow is into Wellington Harbour, then...

 West runs through this narrow, mostly bush-clad gorge towards the Akatarawa Valley

Akatarawa Valley

The Akatarawa Valley is a valley in the Tararua Range of New Zealand's North Island. It provides a link from the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley to Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast through rugged hill country. The valley is lowly populated and contains the localities of Reikorangi and Cloustonville...

. A narrow road winds its way along the steep slopes, providing access for trail biking, mountain biking and walking. Karapoti Gorge is also the starting leg of the annual Karapoti Classic

Karapoti Classic

The Karapoti Classic is New Zealand's longest-running annual mountain bike event, started in 1986 by Paul Kennett. It starts at Karapoti Park off Akatarawa Road between Upper Hutt and Waikanae, and heads up the 8 km Karapoti Gorge...

mountain bike event, which runs on the network of tracks in the Akatarawa Forest.