After a good carwash and two coats of wax, I took my nephew to the Albany Skate Park, as a reward…read morefor his help. Now, I promised him that my boarding days are over, and to tell the truth, never really started. But he is a master on a board, and can make Tony Hawke look like a beginner. Word of advice for parents; don't ever get your son a skateboard. It will either kill them, or you if you decide to watch. What these boys do on ramps with a flat piece of wood and four rubber wheels is nothing short of certifiable. My knees hurt just by looking at them. Next time I'm taking my car to the carwash, it is more expensive, but kinder to my heart.

Only recently finished, Albany skatepark sits just back from the main Oteha Valley Road thorough…read morefare opposite Mitre10 Mega and only minutes away from Westfield Albany and Albany Park and Ride. Its pretty polished-looking with a smooth concrete finish and its a decent size too. Theres plenty of rails, ledges, ramps, humps, and bowls to skate on. This park caters for all age and skill levels so its perfect to bring the kids for the day. Plenty of parking in front and a decent playground and toilets to keep everyone else happy, and if thats not enough then just pop up to the largest mall on the Shore!

You could easily miss the Devonport Skatepark if you didn't know where to look for it. Tucked away…read morefrom the main road into town opposite the Golf course and right in the middle of Ngataringa Park, this park has unlimited lines and transitions for all skill levels. It was designed by a bunch of local boys quite a few years ago and they included every hip gap and rail you can think of. The layout is huge and there's plenty of space. And even if it was complete crap, its still the coolest location! You can play music without bothering any neighbours and kick back in the grass when you need a break.

Great skate park. Can be a little bit of a mission to get there if you are not local to the area…read more Nice and spaced out, one of the better parks around for bikes in my opinion. I ate it bad when I was there a little while ago. I was on my friends downhill mountain bike, I came up to the table top with way too much speed, and for some reason, just at the last second I decided to try and pull a 180. Before I knew it the ground was coming towards my face in slow motion, oh man that was painful.

Until high-school I'd never really had much to do with Craigavon Park. Located on the outskirts of…read moreBlockhouse Bay it's a little further west than I'd ever had reason to venture, but throughout my high-school years cross country runs, fun-runs and various other fundraisers were held at this park. Home to a pretty decent playground, BBQs, a scenic walk and even a skate park - Craigavon Park has activities and events that cater to the whole family. Pack a picnic, the Frisbee, backyard cricket set and your dog - and enjoy the day at one of west Auckland's most popular parks. Bonus: Craigavon Park played host to the Hippie festival late last year. It was such a great day. Travelling painted vans, palm readings, eclectic knick-knacks, decorated lightbulbs, handcrafted wooden toys, and delicious food - the festival was absolutely brilliant and if it ever comes back to Craigavon Park, make sure you don't miss it!

This very random skate park sits on the side of a busy main road. It's nothing totally fancy but it…read moresure is good enough to have a bit of fun on. From my point of view (I'm a very average skater) it looks like there's something to please every skater. There's nice friendly looking slopes for people like me and some rails and jumps for the real shredders. There's even this pole thing sticking out of the ground - who the hell knows what you're supposed to do on that... but it looks pretty hard core. The best thing I'd say about this one is that it's usually pretty empty. Most of the time I drive past there might be one or two people riding up and down but there's never a huge amount of people. If you're a local or are driving by with your board in the back of the car I'm sure it would be worth stopping in for a little jam and checking it out. Would beat riding up and down your road over and over again I'm sure.

I love this little park located in the heart of Remuera. It has to be one of the more fun…read moreplaygrounds in the area. With a swing set, a big climbing frame, slides, a flying fox and a skate board bowl, there is something here to entertain all the kids while you could be walking the dog (on leash only). Upland Road playground also has a lot of greenery for you to sit down on and set up a picnic for lunch or those summer evenings. Located incredibly close to Benson Road dairy, it's only a short hop and skip away to get an ice block, ending a perfect fun filled afternoon at the playground. I have grown up coming to this playground and have taken my siblings here a number of times. It's always a favourite; you just can't go past the awesome flying fox!

This is a super cool park for kids! There's a playground with actually nice and maintained play…read morethings and swings, slides, all that sort of thing - appeals to young babies up to older children. Plenty of seating for parents while the kids play. There is also a big flying fox, and a skate park for the bigger kids. To one side is a cliff that kids can climb up and have a little picnic at the top. We have had several birthday parties here. And heaps of grassy playing area! HEAPS! But note - if you are allergic to grass, this is the grass that will make you come out in a rash. Parking is on the road.

Marlborough Park in Glenfield has a little bit of everything for everyone. I love visiting for the…read moreplayground as it has a section of low tunnels and abacus balls for my preschooler to enjoy playing with; also swings and slides that suit the little and big kid. Not only are the children catered for, there is a basketball court, a skate bowl, a climbing frame, and even a flying fox. If your jogging in the area, why not pop in and work out on the free adult gym equipment? Fantastic park for a picnic on a warm sunny day, and with lots of trees is just really pretty to look at. Please don't miss the peace of Marlborough Park.

Tui Park is one of my new local parks, its a great park with the standard playing areas with swings…read moreand slides. It also has this cool big climbing net and even the fathers can get up there with their kids, I think its best for around 5 plus, its a bit big for the littler ones. It features a neat skateboard/scooter area which the kids love. It also has a big grass area to run around and play a bit of sport, cricket, softball etc. There is also access down to the beach from the park via a small bush walk. I have also been to a number of the Summer fun days in the park here which are really good. Also possibly in the future the Beach Haven Plunket may move to this park.

I had a chance to explore the Te Atatu Peninsula Township on my recent visit to see a good friend,…read moreand I had to check out the local kids playground to give it my okay. Located on Pringle road, off the main strip of the town, in Jack Pringle Park is a very neat play area for the kids. My toddler really enjoyed the blue boat that you can sit in, and play drive, and also the rocking dolphin as well. I was able to shelter a bit from the hot sweltering heat under the beautiful shady trees at the playground, and I could see lots of families having a picnic on the tables nearby. A couple 100 metres away is the skate park for the older kids, and lots of space to stretch out on the lawns and read a book, or have a snooze. I agree this is a great park for the area.

This is a tiny little park next to the library in Te Atatu Peninsula Village. It's next to the…read moreroundabout on the main road, so even though the traffic comes by pretty slowly through the village there are always heaps and heaps of cars so keep a good eye on your kids or your dog. There's a playground here for kids to play on, it's not very big though but there's usually hardly anyone here anyway. They've got some public toilets that are those good ones where you can electronically lock the doors so it's very private and you don't have to worry about getting walked in on. There's parking around the back with quite a few parks available, and with the village right there, there are heaps of food options too.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!…read more Discovered this park the other day with my one year old son. I can't believe the amount of times I have driven by and not stopped for a closer look!! Duck feeding - yes Picnic friendly - yes Fully equipped modern playground - yes Sherwood reserve is expansive and connects to Freyburg Park off Anzac Road. If you are keen on a family picnic and/or outing to the playground with the kids but don't want to deal with tlhe crowds that Browns Bay has, this is a MUST VISIT!!

Gorgeous reserve. I use the walkway that runs through it from time to time and I love the scenery…read moreand the huge fresh grassy patches. The pathway that winds down and around is perfect for a bit of bike riding or skating down. Just don't do what I did and jump off your board on a downward slope... I had to watch in horror as my skateboard took a dive into the stream! There's a block of shops at the top of the reserve with a dairy and there's also a playground up top. Great spot for a slow Sunday stroll.