The Rimutaka Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape

East Cape

East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located to the north of Gisborne in the northeast of the North Island....

 and Wellington.The ridge is at its most pronounced in the southern part of the island, where it consists of the Ruahine

Ruahine Range

The Ruahine Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington....

, Tararua

Tararua Range

The Tararua Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington....

, and Rimutaka Ranges.

The Rimutakas run southwest-northeast for 55 kilometres from Turakirae Head

Turakirae Head

Turakirae Head is a promontory on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the western end of Palliser Bay, 20 kilometres southeast of Wellington, at the southern end of the Rimutaka Ranges. The head is an excellent example of tectonic uplift within the Wellington region...

 at the eastern end of Palliser Bay

Palliser Bay

Palliser Bay is located at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand, to the southeast of Wellington. It runs for 40 kilometres along the Cook Strait coast from Turakirae Head at the southern end of the Rimutaka Ranges to Cape Palliser, the North Island's southernmost point.Inland from...

 to the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley

Hutt Valley, New Zealand

The Hutt Valley is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zealand Company in early colonial New Zealand.The river flows roughly along...

 where it joins the southern end of the Tararua Range. The highest peak in the Rimutakas is Mount Matthews

Mount Matthews

Mount Matthews is the highest peak in the Rimutaka Ranges to the east of Wellington Harbour and the Wellington Region in general. Mt Matthews reaches a height of 940 metres and although not special on that account, it has significance in regard to its distinctive aspect as seen from Wellington the...

, at 940 metres.

To cross the ridges from the Hutt Valley to Featherston

Featherston, New Zealand

Featherston is a town in the north of the Wellington Region region of New Zealand. It lies in the Wairarapa, just north of the Rimutaka Tunnel, in the South Wairarapa District. The population was 2,340 in the 2006 Census....

 and beyond, there is a narrow, winding road that forms part of State Highway 2

New Zealand State Highway network

The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...

. At the summit is a lookout point. A railway also used to climb across the Rimutakas; it included the famous Rimutaka Incline, a rare example of the Fell mountain railway system

Fell mountain railway system

The Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the normal running...

. It opened on 12 August 1878 and operated until 30 October 1955, when it was replaced by the Rimutaka Tunnel

Rimutaka Tunnel

The Rimutaka Tunnel is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Rimutaka Ranges, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line.The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 November 1955, is long...

. This tunnel allows the Wairarapa Line

Wairarapa Line

The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...

 to pass directly beneath the range, and the former route of the Incline is now a popular rail trail

Rail trail

A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...

. A heritage society, the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust

Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust

The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is a non-profit, charitable trust in New Zealand that was established in 2003 with the objective of reinstating an operating heritage railway over the Rimutaka Ranges using the original route of the Wairarapa Line between Maymorn and Featherston,...

, is currently seeking to rebuild the Incline as a tourist and historical attraction.

There was formerly a cafe on the summit of State Highway 2, but after disputes between the Greater Wellington Regional Council and a series of tenants over toilets and the ownership of the land, the building sat empty and was severely damaged by fire in April 2009.