Lower Hutt lies 15 minutes by train northeast of Wellington, in the broad flat valley carved by the Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River. It is the largest city in the Wellington region after the capital itself, and functions partly as a commuter city and partly as a self-contained urban centre with its own cultural life, parks, and suburban character.
The Dowse Art Museum is the city's cultural highlight — a modern gallery with a strong collection of New Zealand contemporary art and craft. Petone, the suburb at the southern end of the valley where it meets Wellington Harbour, is where the first British settlers landed in 1840; the Petone Settlers Museum on the foreshore tells that story. Jackson Street in Petone is one of the better strips for independent cafés and secondhand bookshops in the Wellington region.
The Hutt River Trail runs along the river for 40 kilometres north through the valley — good for cycling and walking. The Percy Scenic Reserve in the Maungaraki hills gives easy access to bush and views without leaving the city.