I play indoor netball here and everything is well organised. Once you've set up your team you can…read morepay your fee weekly or in a lump sum. Then you show up, put on clean bibs that you don't even have to wash yourself afterwards and play some sweet netball (sweet? I totally mean sweaty) with a referee that has also been organised for you. Basically you can just turn up and play! There are tables, chairs and a couple of couches to hang out at before your game or collapse into afterwards. There are toilets in the building as well. Conveniently located across the road is a park with courts if you want to practice/warm-up before the game, although there are only baskethall hoops and it's often very busy with others playing social sports and families hanging out.

Indoor Netball is not just for girls. No, no, no. It's fierce, fast and even at social level, super…read morecompetitive. I play in a mixed team once a week at Balmoral and love it. The competition is well graded, usually the games are very close. They are well organised, everything runs extremely smoothly. I can't even moan about the refs, they are focused (which isn't always the case with social sport) and fair. It's not too expensive, and it's a really fun way to break up the week while getting a mega fitness kick. The Balmoral courts are small and the venue has a laid back community feel

Located in on the corner of Mt Eden Road and Mt Albert Road, Three Kings Park is situated next to…read morethe Three Kings Shopping Plaza. It is a venue for sports such as cricket, soccer (football) and athletics. There is a basketball hoop in the park, toilets and even tennis courts. The tennis courts are available for public use free of charge - except on certain mornings when the courts are reserved (see photo). Three ashphalt courts are available. If you're wanting a hit, make sure you bring your own tennis balls as there doesn't seem to be a sports shop nearby. While the few cheap stores in the plaza sell what look like tennis balls, one worker thankfully told me "don't use them to play tennis, they won't bounce." The park is used for community events also such as 'Music In Parks' - I saw some of Tim Finn's set there there last year (on the way home from doing my grocery shopping)!

This is one of the most beautiful green spaces I've ever seen in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed…read morewandering through the grounds of the domain. Especially the greenhouses. I wanted to stay in those spaces, smell all the flowers, touch all the plants, and pick some of the very ripe fruits and vegetables. I admit to smelling some flowers and touching a few plants, but no fruits or veggies were at risk. Highly recommend the Auckland Domain if you are in Auckland. It's free, beautiful, and walking it is great exercise. It's made of win.

Green lawns, ball fields, gazebos with live music, clean public restrooms, unique trees & shrubs,…read moreendless trails with lots of benches & a very nice day. I loved the trees, I expected to see a Hobbit crawl out. We were walking to the museum & then back to our hotel. We passed pristine rolling hills, a bowling center, tennis center, Olympic aquatic center .... Many were biking, walking, jogging and enjoying the green space. There is a botanic garden near the museum.

These Football (Soccer) fields used to be a boggy waterlogged mess, but the massive upgrade to…read moreartificial turf and proper drainage has turned this place into something special. It's looks like it has tons of junior fields now too. I remember sliding on astro turf many a year ago and it takes a few layers of skin away, but I'm assuming technology has taken care of that these days. Big thumbs up to all involved.

This is a reasonable sized park for a neighbourhood park. It is situated between St Leonards Ave…read moreand Watling Ave (which both run off Mt Eden Road). There is rolling grass, a playground, and even a tree swing to discover, which is popular with the kids. The perfect park for children to be able to play hide and seek in or my favourite game from back in the day 'go home stay home'. I visited this park a few times during the summer to just lie out in the sun with a book - very relaxing! So if you haven't yet discovered this local park, how about visiting it on the next sunny day, because I think it is pretty great.

I have driven past this park so many times in the past couple of years and never ever ventured in,…read morefor the reason that it's not in my hood. So I was really happy to have the opportunity to attend a Free Music in Parks concert sponsored by Auckland City Council. Nixon Park may be more famously known for its Skate park or the two half courts to shoot some baskets. My experience of the park was when it transformed into a community of music and a sea of people, young and old, to enjoy free music and a free space to relax upon. Fantastic trees on the west side of the park, which provide shelter from the sun when it is at its most powerful comes in handy when you don't have sunscreen, are with little kiddies, or just need some time out from the rays. In this little oasis of trees you will also find a really cool tree swing that glides out for some free play time. The kids playground is small, but really good for the fifteen month to six year old, they have a few slides, see saws, and swings, not as modernized as of yet, but I'm sure it won't be long till they revamp this kids play area. Always enjoy a good Auckland park, and this was a great find.

Most kids rate Nixon Park for its skate area or the little playground. Mine rate it because of a…read moredodgy old rope swing up the hill at the back, hidden in the trees. Injuries have been sustained and I doubt it is remotely OSH approved but, just like back in the day, the home-made rope swing kicks the arse of those PC playgrounds. I don't know who put it there but I am glad that no one has (yet) had it pulled down due to misplaced (and misappropriated - if you don't like it don't let your kids play on it) safety concerns. True they have to be a bit careful about hitting the ground when they swing back but that's all part of the fun. And yes, that loop could be dangerous and yes, my son has got his leg caught in it and scraped the bejesus out of his torso (if a mishap is at all remotely possible, it will happen to him). But they LOVE it and I can totally see why. Just keep an eye on them - I'm constantly surprised at how many parents feel supervision is unnecessary (in all kinds of situations!). Nixon Park is also pretty cool for family and music events with its big flat field and the Kingsland Karnivale that took place last weekend was a lot of fun for everyone - with some particularly good shopping. And I do always love to see the carefree Titirangi dancing come and visit the central suburbs.

This must surely be one of Auckland's most sprawling parks. It's MASSIVE. However you feel about…read moreKeith Hay and his conservative Christian politics (although non-Aucklanders may have never heard of him), this big green space is pretty cool. It is home to two of Auckland's most iconic amateur sports clubs Three Kings United Football and TriStar Gymnastics. It is also where you'll find Cameron Pool, the Eden Roskill Cricket Club and Akarana Golf Course, as well as several playgrounds and some nice paths and wide open spaces to walk the dog or just get some outdoor exercise. The playing fields must be some of the most well used in the city as they are totally swarmed on Saturday mornings for the TKU soccer games. There's even a regular sausage sizzle, coffee van and merchandise stand. I always think we are so lucky in Auckland to have so much greenery and Keith Hay Park is a great example of this.

Keith Hay park played a massive part in my life when I first moved to Auckland. It was adjoined to…read moremy intermediate school (Waikowhai Intermediate,) as well as across the road from Roskill Grammar. Keith Hay Park played host to many memorable games of soccer for me over the years - I remember doing the Wynton Rufer academy and failing to do 15 juggles continually, while getting watched by the whole course. A little bit embarassing. Keith Hay Park is huge - if i remember correctly there are 15 full sized soccer piches on it, as well as a few cricket pitches and batting nets. It also serves as a home for Cameron Pools and the gymnastic centre, so it really serves as a centrepiece, one size fits all sporting destination.

In the central Auckland suburbs there's really only a choice of two football clubs and Three Kings…read moreUnited is probably the biggest. When your kid decides they want to play soccer it's a whole new world and although this is our second year I still found registration a bit of a nightmare. Still, once you're in the club and assigned a team it can really take over your Winter. The club allocates teams, organises games, tournaments, fundraising and all other manner of administration that no doubt goes into running an organisation as large as this. It's also primarily volunteers who make things happen and once you've gotten used to the early starts it's a lovely community to be a part of.

Arch Hill Scenic Reserve is possibly the only place in Central Auckland where you can mountain…read morebike. Went here last weekend, because my sister is a keen mountain biker, plus they have walking tracks too! The reserve also has a playground, swings, a climbing dome, a basketball hoop and a huge field, which would be great for soccer, cricket or just running around. Perfect for kids, but also for adults (like my sister and I) that still enjoy a good playground! There are two tracks for mountain bikers, short ones, but still pretty fun. They also have two walking tracks, one that follows the mountain bike track and the other is a short steep walk (but good for those thighs!) up to the Grey Lynn Community Library. It is definitely a great short-cut if you live in the area! Only negative would be that the park backs onto the motorway, so quite noisy, but once you block out that noise, it is bliss.