Karori is a large western suburb of Wellington, around 8 km from the CBD via the Karori Tunnel. It's bordered by Northland, Wilton and Crofton Downs to the east, with rural Makara further west.

Is Karori the biggest suburb in New Zealand?

By population, yes. Karori sits at around 14,200 residents, making it consistently New Zealand's most populous single suburb.

Zealandia (formerly Karori Wildlife Sanctuary) is a 225-hectare predator-fenced ecosanctuary in Karori, the first of its kind in the world. It restored the native forest from 1995 and now hosts wild populations of takahē, kākā, kiwi and tuatara.

How do you get from Wellington CBD to Karori?

The fastest route is through the Karori Tunnel via Karori Road, about 10 minutes by car off-peak. The Number 2 bus runs frequently from Wellington Railway Station to Karori. There is no train service to Karori.

What's at Karori Mall?

Karori Mall is the local shopping centre on Karori Road, with a New World supermarket, banks, pharmacy and various services. The Karori Medical Centre and Karori Library are nearby in the town centre.

Which schools are in zone for Karori?

Children living in Karori are in zone for St Oran's College, Wellington Girls' College, Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre, Wellington College, Karori Normal School, Hutt International Boys' School. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.

How do I check my school zone in Karori?

Use the School Zone Checker on this page — enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Karori, Wellington | Schools, Lifestyle & Local Guide

Living in Karori

Karori is the largest suburb in New Zealand by population (around 14,200), and an early starter for "Wellington's most underrated". 8 km west of central Wellington, on the other side of a tunnel that opened in 1900 and made the suburb practical to commute from.

The standout local fact is Zealandia, the world's first fully fenced urban ecosanctuary. 225 hectares of restored native forest behind an 8.6 km predator-proof fence, where tuatara, takahē, kākā, kiwi and saddleback all live wild within bus distance of Parliament. The project started in 1995 as Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and effectively rewrote the playbook for urban conservation. Tūī and kākā are now everyday visitors to Karori back gardens because of it, which is a genuinely strange thing to be normal.

Karori Mall and the wider Karori Road shopping strip cover groceries, banks, the medical centre, library and most things you'd want without going through the tunnel. Karori Cemetery is one of the country's largest, with notable graves and self-guided heritage walks.

Past Karori the road keeps going to Makara: more wind farm than suburb, and worth the drive on a clear day for the coast.

Is Karori a good place to live?

Karori is home to roughly 14,763 people across 20.2 km². On Suburb's overall livability scale, Karori scores 75 out of 100, with a safety score of 71/100 and 69% green space.

Schools: Karori has 35 schools in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.

Housing: The estimated median value is around $1.04M, and weekly rent typically sits around $640.

Lifestyle: Karori has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. The current temperature is 8.5°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.

Whether Karori is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.

Map

Livability Breakdown

Safety71
Amenities100
Schools93
Housing Affordability36
Green space100
Community89
Transport40

Property & Economics

Est. Median Value: $1.04M
Median Weekly Rent: $640/wk
Median HH Income: $158K/yr
Pop. Growth (5yr): -5.7%
Data Year: 2023

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.

Nearby Suburbs

Browse all suburbs in Wellington City →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Karori?: Karori is a large western suburb of Wellington, around 8 km from the CBD via the Karori Tunnel. It's bordered by Northland, Wilton and Crofton Downs to the east, with rural Makara further west.
Is Karori the biggest suburb in New Zealand?: By population, yes. Karori sits at around 14,200 residents, making it consistently New Zealand's most populous single suburb.
What is Zealandia?: Zealandia (formerly Karori Wildlife Sanctuary) is a 225-hectare predator-fenced ecosanctuary in Karori, the first of its kind in the world. It restored the native forest from 1995 and now hosts wild populations of takahē, kākā, kiwi and tuatara.
How do you get from Wellington CBD to Karori?: The fastest route is through the Karori Tunnel via Karori Road, about 10 minutes by car off-peak. The Number 2 bus runs frequently from Wellington Railway Station to Karori. There is no train service to Karori.
What's at Karori Mall?: Karori Mall is the local shopping centre on Karori Road, with a New World supermarket, banks, pharmacy and various services. The Karori Medical Centre and Karori Library are nearby in the town centre.

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Karori

Schools in zone for Karori

Children living in Karori have a guaranteed right to enrol at these schools, based on Ministry of Education home zones.

St Oran's College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 504 · decile 10
Wellington Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1427 · decile 8
Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1639 · decile 9
Wellington College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1941 · decile 10
Karori Normal School
Full Primary · roll 590 · decile 9
Hutt International Boys' School
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 653 · decile 10

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Enter your address to check your school zone in Karori. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.

Other nearby schools

Schools close to Karori that you may be able to enrol at under open enrolment or by application (outside your home zone).

St Teresa's School (Karori)
Full Primary · roll 125 · decile 10 · 0.8 km away
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Composite · roll 394 · decile 10 · 0.9 km away
Karori West Normal School
Full Primary · roll 431 · decile 7 · 1.5 km away
Kelburn Normal School
Full Primary · roll 270 · decile 10 · 1.9 km away
Northland School
Full Primary · roll 214 · decile 7 · 2.0 km away
Altum Academy
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 2.3 km away
Te Aro School
Full Primary · roll 210 · decile 4 · 2.4 km away
Brooklyn School (Wellington)
Full Primary · roll 368 · decile 8 · 2.7 km away
Clifton Terrace Model School
Full Primary · roll 71 · decile 8 · 2.9 km away
Ōtari School
Full Primary · roll 193 · decile 9 · 2.9 km away
Mt Cook School (Wellington)
Full Primary · roll 287 · decile 6 · 3.3 km away
St Mary's College (Wellington)
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 562 · decile 8 · 3.4 km away
Central Regional Health School
Specialist School · roll 23 · 3.4 km away
Te Kura o Tawatawa - Ridgway School
Full Primary · roll 214 · decile 9 · 3.4 km away
Sacred Heart Cathedral School
Full Primary · roll 228 · decile 8 · 3.4 km away
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu
Correspondence School · roll 8517 · 3.6 km away
St Mark's Church School (Mt Victoria)
Full Primary · roll 136 · decile 10 · 3.7 km away
Clyde Quay School
Full Primary · roll 213 · decile 10 · 3.8 km away
Thorndon School
Full Primary · roll 270 · decile 8 · 3.8 km away
Mākara Model School
Full Primary · roll 62 · decile 10 · 3.9 km away
Wadestown School
Full Primary · roll 243 · decile 9 · 3.9 km away
Wellington East Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1014 · decile 8 · 4.0 km away
Queen Margaret College
Composite · roll 755 · decile 9 · 4.0 km away
Crofton Downs Primary School
Contributing · roll 154 · decile 10 · 4.0 km away
Newtown School
Contributing · roll 310 · decile 4 · 4.0 km away
St Annes School (Newtown)
Full Primary · roll 215 · decile 5 · 4.2 km away
Berhampore School
Contributing · roll 264 · decile 3 · 4.4 km away
South Wellington Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 335 · decile 5 · 4.5 km away
Kilbirnie School
Contributing · roll 204 · decile 10 · 4.9 km away

Explore Karori

Things to do(24)

Zealandia

Kākā feeders

Physique Studio

Sparkle Fitness NZ

GKR Karate

Johnstons Hill Scenic Reserve

Defender Krav Maga

Karori Park

Wrights Hill Dog Exercise Area

Fiona Haines Dance Academy

Wright's Hill Lookout

Naturally, Healthy, Weightloss

Karori Lions Club Inc.

Karori United Tennis Club

Karori Recreation Centre

Karori Karate dojo

Dynamic Being Karori

Karori Cricket Club

Fighting Fit Karori

Dynamic Taekwondo Poneke

Karori Bowling Club

Appleton Park

Ben Burn Park

Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park

Parks & green spaces(7)

Johnstons Hill Scenic Reserve

Karori Park

Wrights Hill Dog Exercise Area

Wright's Hill Lookout

Appleton Park

Ben Burn Park

Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park

Healthcare(2)

Unichem

Month	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm/day)	Sunshine (hrs/day)
☀️ Jan	19.12	14.12	1.73	11.39
☀️ Feb	18.66	14.25	2.25	10.85
🍂 Mar	16.83	12.17	1.69	10.1
🍂 Apr	15.64	11.28	4.03	7.91
🍂 May	13.58	9.56	3.52	6.98
❄️ Jun	12.23	8.23	2.74	6.58
❄️ Jul	11.13	7.19	2.69	6.23
❄️ Aug	10.78	6.99	2.63	7.74
🌸 Sep	12.72	8.74	2.88	8.65
🌸 Oct	13.66	9.31	2.72	10.05
🌸 Nov	14.99	10.7	1.67	10.67
☀️ Dec	17.12	12.74	2.47	10.94

Living in Karori

Is Karori a good place to live?

Map

Livability Breakdown

Property & Economics

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

Nearby Suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Karori

Schools in zone for Karori

St Oran's College

Wellington Girls' College

Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre

Wellington College

Karori Normal School

Hutt International Boys' School

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Other nearby schools

St Teresa's School (Karori)

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School

Karori West Normal School

Kelburn Normal School

Northland School

Altum Academy

Te Aro School

Brooklyn School (Wellington)

Clifton Terrace Model School

Ōtari School

Mt Cook School (Wellington)

St Mary's College (Wellington)

Central Regional Health School

Te Kura o Tawatawa - Ridgway School

Sacred Heart Cathedral School

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu

St Mark's Church School (Mt Victoria)

Clyde Quay School

Thorndon School

Mākara Model School

Wadestown School

Wellington East Girls' College

Queen Margaret College

Crofton Downs Primary School

Newtown School

St Annes School (Newtown)

Berhampore School

South Wellington Intermediate

Kilbirnie School

Explore Karori

🎯Things to do(24)

Zealandia

Kākā feeders

Physique Studio

Sparkle Fitness NZ

GKR Karate

Johnstons Hill Scenic Reserve

Defender Krav Maga

Karori Park

Wrights Hill Dog Exercise Area

Fiona Haines Dance Academy

Wright's Hill Lookout

Naturally, Healthy, Weightloss

Karori Lions Club Inc.

Karori United Tennis Club

Karori Recreation Centre

Karori Karate dojo

Dynamic Being Karori

Karori Cricket Club

Fighting Fit Karori

Dynamic Taekwondo Poneke

Karori Bowling Club

Appleton Park

Ben Burn Park

Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park

🌳Parks & green spaces(7)

Johnstons Hill Scenic Reserve

Karori Park

Wrights Hill Dog Exercise Area

Wright's Hill Lookout

Appleton Park

Things to do(24)

Parks & green spaces(7)

Healthcare(2)

Places to eat & drink(36)

Tradies & services(13)

Shops(8)