Drive for just 25 minutes from Wellington’s city centre, along State Highway 2 and you arrive in Upper Hutt – a unique and largely underestimated city.

The city’s name comes from an English Member of Parliament Sir William Hutt who helped to settle Wellington and the Hutt Valley.

The Upper Hutt Southern boundary is at Silverstream, while the Northern boundary is from the top of Rimutaka Hill. It covers 53,962 hectares, making it the second largest city council by area in New Zealand.

There is always plenty to do in Upper Hutt, particularly if you are interested in the outdoors. You can visit the Hutt River, which runs down the side of Upper Hutt. It is the ideal place to take the family for summer barbeques, picnics or for to take the dogs swimming.

Upper Hutt is full of parks and playgrounds and with affordable housing, it is a great place to raise a family, or to take the family for a day trip out of Wellington City.

Thousands of horse racing enthusiasts flock to Upper Hutt throughout January for the Trentham races at the Trentham Racecourse. On Wellington cup day the racecourse is buzzing with visitors – both young and old.

Along with the call of the outdoors, Upper Hutt is fast-becoming a popular urban recreational area with its own theatre and exhibition space: Expressions Theatre, swimming pool complex – the H2O Xtream Swimming Pool, and the on-going upgrade of Logan Plaza shopping mall.

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