Kaukau summit
A well worthwhile Wellington walk
Kaukau is one of the highest points close to Wellington and the 360 degree views from the summit are well worth the effort getting there. There are tracks starting from Johnsonville, Broadmeadows, Khandallah and Ngaio. Arguably the easiest is from the carpark at Johnsonville Park at the end of Truscott Avenue.
It follows a well graded track with 20 flights of steps to begin but then becomes easier as it follows the Te Araroa Trail to the observation deck. However, the true summit of Kaukau at 445 m is a further 350 m north past the mast.
Allow about 1 hour from the carpark to the summit.
The video shows what to expect if you chose to get to the top via the Johnsonville Route. Please remember that there are now kiwi living around Kaukau so dogs definitely need to be on a lead – dogs and kiwi do not play well together.
Mount Kaukau Mast – Frequently Asked Questions:
Q What is the Mount Kaukau mast?
A The Mount Kaukau mast is a major telecommunications and broadcasting tower located on Kaukau in Wellington. It transmits television, radio, and communication signals across the Wellington region.
Q Who owns and operates the Mt Kaukau mast?
A The tower is owned and operated by Kordia, a state-owned enterprise. It was originally built and managed by the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) before several structural changes in the NZ media landscape led to Kordia’s formation.
Q How tall is the tower?
A As of 2022, the tower stands at 100 metres (328 feet). For most of its life, it was 122 metres tall, but the top 22-metre section was removed during a major maintenance project because it was no longer needed for modern digital signals.
Q When was it built?
A Construction was approved in February 1965 and completed later that year. It was part of a national initiative to create a robust television network across New Zealand.
Q What services does it transmit today?
A The mast is the primary site for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), FM radio, and various emergency service radio communications for the Wellington region.
Q What was its original purpose?
A It was built specifically to transmit WNTV1 (now known as TVNZ 1). Before this tower existed, Wellington’s TV signal came from a much smaller and less powerful transmitter on Mt Victoria.
Q Are the transmissions dangerous to hikers at the summit?
A The signals are designed to beam outward toward the horizon, not down at the ground. Because of this “beam tilt,” the level of radiofrequency (RF) energy at the public lookout is usually less than 1% of the New Zealand safety limit. You are often exposed to more RF energy from your own mobile phone than from the tower while standing near its base.
Q Why is there a large fence around the tower?
A The fence is there for two reasons: security and safety. While the area outside the fence is perfectly safe, the area directly under the antennas (inside the compound) could theoretically have higher “lobes” of energy. The fence ensures no one can accidentally stand in a high-intensity zone or interfere with the grounding equipment.
Q Does Kordia have its own internal safety policy?
A Yes. Kordia operates under a strict Health & Safety Policy centred on a “Zero Harm” objective. This policy requires regular audits of high-power sites like Mt Kaukau to ensure that fencing, signage, and signal “leakage” are all managed so that every visitor “Gets Home Safely.”.
Original Publication: This article was originally written by Sarah and published on the Wellington Tramping & Mountaineering Club (WTMC) website. You can view the original post at www.wtmc.org.nz
Other Kaukau trip reports: