Te Raekaihau (the headland that eats the wind) is a 21.6 ha reserve on Wellington’s South Coast, incorporating the headland dividing Lyall Bay from Houghton Bay, and overlooking Cook Strait. It includes Te Raekaihau Point and runs back to View Road South, just before Hungerford Road. Some of the fringes are privately owned, but the majority of the headland is owned by the Wellington City Council.
For a long time the place was a little known treasure with slowly regenerating bush and stunning views over Cook Strait. Over the last 50 years several individuals and groups have helped care for the headland, including making tracks and replanting the land with endemic forest cover.
Te Ohu o Te Raekaihau is the most recent of restoration groups for this special place and is laying the foundation for more permanent kaitiakitanga. Around 2,000 trees are planted every year over the winter months to diversify the vegetation amongst the monoculture of native karo. The rest of the year is spent culling invasive weeds and generally caring for the forest, the wildlife and the tracks in collaboration with the Council.