Trails › New Zealand › Wellington › Tararua Range › Table Top

Field Hut and Table Top

On Table Top, Tararua Range

Trail3.8 km · 2.4 miModerate · 5/10Best Sep–May

Next nearby hike: Arcus Loop Track 1.2 mi · 2.0 kmExplore Table Top →

Get directions · Google MapsApple Maps

NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0) · OpenStreetMap · Official page · Basemap: OpenFreeMap (OpenMapTiles, © OSM contributors).

7-day forecast

Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)

Best time to hike

Best months: Sep–May · highs 10–18 °C (50–64 °F)

  1. J17°11°103
  2. F18°11°103
  3. M16°10°114
  4. A14°8°116
  5. M11°6°143
  6. J9°4°175
  7. J8°3°170
  8. A9°4°155
  9. S10°5°146
  10. O12°6°167
  11. N14°8°138
  12. D16°10°148

Average high °C · low °C · precipitation mm per month. Highlighted: best months.

How we pick months

Best months are those where the 1981–2010 average daily high is 10–27 °C (50–81 °F), the average overnight low is 0 °C (32 °F) or warmer, and average precipitation is 200 mm (7.9 in) or less. Values are long-term monthly averages for the ~1 km cell at the trail point on the map, from CHELSA V2.1 climatologies (Karger et al., CC0), not a forecast. Higher or more exposed parts of a route can be colder, wetter or snowier.

About this trail

The day trip to Table Top is the classic climb to the tops of the western Tararua Range.

NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0).

Trail facts

Length
3.8 km · 2.4 mi (DOC route geometry)
Source
NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0)
Difficulty
Moderate (5/10) (Intermediate · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0))
Typical time (DOC)
5 – 6 hr return
Official page
doc.govt.nz/link/f99ecad98abb4d1e92627eca243
Mountain
Table Top (hill; GeoNames)
Mountain range
Tararua Range (North Island Mountain Spine; GMBA)
Nearest town
14 km E of Waikanae (Kapiti Coast District, Wellington Region) · GeoNames
Park or forest
Tararua Forest Park
Connects to
Tararua Southern Crossing (at its start or end)
Best months
Sep–May
Country
New Zealand
Region
Wellington
Continent
Oceania
Route centre
-40.8946, 175.2361
How it’s scored

Moderate (5/10). Official rating: Intermediate · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0).

A score is omitted when we do not have an official rating or enough measured length and elevation gain to compute one. Nothing is guessed. Read the NPS method: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/how-to-determine-hiking-difficulty.htm

Hikers can rate difficulty from 1 to 10 (1 = flat, short, easy walk for anyone; 3 = gentle hills, a little effort; 5 = moderate climbs, some fitness needed; 7 = steep or long, solid fitness required; 10 = extremely strenuous or technical; long steep climbing; experienced hikers only). The community average is shown once at least 3 people have rated the trail; until then the official or computed score is used when we have one.

Nearest trails

distance from the trail centre

All trails in Wellington → · All 1,167 trails in New Zealand →