Tahaki Reserve is a park I have spent countless hours playing in over the years. Located on the…read moreside of Mt Eden, this park boasts a pretty good playground, flying fox, mini amphitheatre where movies and gigs are often held and nice grounds for a picnic. I admit the flying fox used to be my favourite aspect of Tahaki Reserve - it was an old wooden one that you held on to, not like the ones you sit on now - and we used to where our rollerblades at the same time. You can imagine the fun we had! Zooming off on the flying fox, only to put your feet down at the end and keep going on your rollerblades! Needless to say I grazed many a knee at Tahaki Reserve when I was younger, and even had the privilege of kicking the top off my toe there - but the fact that it remains one of my favourite parks is testament to how nice it is there. Though I no longer run amuck around the playground, I still enjoy picnic dinners in Tahaki Reserve. Taking hot Chinese takeaways and sitting on the wee stage in the top corner of the park is a pretty nice way to spend an evening with your partner, or group of friends, not to mention it's perfect for midday picnics with the family and a friendly game of Frisbee! Tip: Tahaki Reserve also hosts full moon parties on occasion - a whole lot of free-spirited people gather in the park and party the night away - it's pretty cool!

Since moving to Newmarket I've been at a loss for where I can exercise outside comfortably - that…read morewas, until my partner introduced me to Tahaki Reserve. It's an expansive, nicely sheltered park on the side of Mount Eden that's also easy to get to & from. A quick walk here ensures I've got plenty of fun, physical things to do; from braving the Flying Fox, hill sprints up a refreshingly even paved path, cartwheels along the lush grass fields, hopping onto the adult-friendly swings, testing my metal on the small merry-go round, hanging on the monkey bars and even playing a quick game of tic tac toe! My partner and I spent hours here enjoying the sun and revelling in the opportunity to have fun whilst getting fit. I got to embrace my inner child in a perfectly lovely environment that I'll be sure to visit regularly from now on. Afterwards, due to the great location, it was all to easy for us to stroll past a dairy for a sneaky ice cream in celebration of our favourite new park. I recommend Tahaki Reserve to both adults and children, there's something's for everyone to enjoy.

This is the place where I spent hours and hours pretending to study. My love for sculptures and all…read morethings artsy led me to this place after I realised studying indoors when the weather was amazing, was a complete waste of my time. I grabbed my study items, a novel that had nothing to do with my exams and a beverage of some sort. I sat on the bench looking at the fallen sculptures and thought about the mysteries of life, hours went by as I say there contemplating what was there before and what will be there in the future, All I can say is if you are looking for a place to just take a chill pill, enjoy some quiet time, "study" and be one with the grass then Western Park is for you. The location is perfect that if you get hungry you can just waddle on to Ponsonby road or K road for a bite.

Want local flavour? Try Western Park. At the K Road end of Ponsonby Road it's close enough to the…read morecity to attract those "interesting" types that seem to just love hanging out in parks (broad daylight sleeping seems to be the thing here). This place is a bit of a secret in that from its main entrance on Ponsonby Road it looks very small. Even if you can't be arsed walking down the hill to explore, seeing John Radford's famous building sculptures is reason enough. They have become a much-loved Ponsonby icon and still fascinate kids and adults alike after all these years. If you do decide to carry on down the hill though, you'll find a landscaped basin with a pretty cool playground leading to tennis courts and sports fields. Who knew? The playground is always fairly quiet, thanks I think to the steep climb down (and inevitably back up). The last time I was here there was a film crew shooting so like I said, you just never know what surprises await. It's also a great spot for lunch if you work nearby and there's even a fitness trail if the hill just isn't enough.

Albert Park is an enchanting space. Around the perimeter are pathways surrounded by huge, stately…read moretrees. As you move into the center of the park, there's lush grass and a ton of the most beautifully landscaped flowerbeds I've ever seen. There are a ton of park benches throughout the park, but there were a ton of folks sitting on the grass with chairs and blankets. It was such a nice space, if I lived in Auckland I'd use that park all the time. Highly recommend.

Minutes from Auckland's central business district, we can all find respite in the green space known…read moreas Albert Park. From the old trees to the stately bandstand, from it's statue of Queen Victoria to those of famed New Zealanders, this park oozes history! It is beautiful, close to downtown/university and right next to the Auckland Art Museum. On a sunny day, you'll find everyone on the benches or sprawled on the lawn. It's the favorite space of office workers, college students and visitors too!

This a great revitalized area in Auckland. It's a great walk from the CBD. And there are dozens of…read morerestaurants. An urban park and even cooler there's an Asian set of stands on the weekend. Delicious. Besides the theater and the shops there's at lots of condos and great city and bay views.

Restaurants, the civic center, Hyatt and children playing. A nice walkway on route to the fish…read moremarket.

Roxy and Lulu absolutely froth over this place. So many new smells and friends to be made. Milford…read morebeach really is a haven for dogs. This morning we even came across a rather large stingray that had washed up during the storm, which got the critters v.excited (and rather smelly). As far as beaches go, I would say Milford is of average size. At a leisurely pace it probably takes around 15mins to walk from one end to the other. However, If you are feeling spry I would highly recommend continuing on to Takapuna. The views are spectacular and the terrain is varied, which keeps things interesting. Be sure to wear your walking shoes though as things get a bit rocky! Whilst Milford Beach is great for dogs/morning walks it definitely not may fav spot for sunbathing. The sand is rather gritty and at high tide there is no beach to speak of. Instead head around to the much more secluded Thorne Bay.

A great beach with a huge field and playground nearby for the kids- at the main entrance and car…read morepark. There are lots of trees for climbing in and to rest in the shade as well as public BBQ's available. A boat launch lives right down the end in the corner. Several residential streets lead onto this beach- thankfully as it's sometimes a mission to find a park in the height of summer in the main area. A great view straight across to Rangitoto as well as rock pools on each end of the beach when it's low tide. Have spent many a childhood summer day looking into it trying to finding walking crabs, shrimps and other aquatic things. It's quite extensive rock pools so you can walk around and out quite a bit. The water is somewhat green-clear and great for swimming- not too rough and in the summer time they have lifeguard flags to keep the littlies safe in the water. Golden sand and a decent sized beach for you to lay down a towel and get some sun tanning in. They also have concrete walkways elevated above the sand when it's too high tide that wraps around the edge of the sand towards Takapuna. Beautiful sunsets here and great for dogs. A low key version of Takapuna that's nearby and still lovely.

Essex Reserve is a lovely wee park right in Mt Eden village but tucked behind so it's off the main…read moredrag. It has a good little playground, some nice big shady trees and a cool sculpture by Richard Wedekind called Bystanders. What I love most about this reserve is its community events; I've been to a Halloween event here that had witches with cauldrons, face painters, lucky dips for the kids and lots more. The annual Artists in Eden event is also held here (and in fact is coming up very shortly), which is a really great day out for the whole family as well as the chance to see well-known local artists create an entire work in just a few hours. To me Essex Reserve is an integral part of Mt Eden whether it's playing host to festivities or simply providing an oasis in the urban hubbub.

I only discovered this reserve while looking for parking. Mt Eden village has many cafes and food…read moreplaces, Mt Eden has a reputation for being a good cafe district. Quite often though, the more popular places will be cram packed with people, so if you wanted to get your food and go someplace a bit more quiet then this is a good spot. There are park benches and tables closer to the playground or you could sit on the grass. In a space closer to the parking lot there are a lot of benches surrounding a circular area. Whenever I have over 15 minutes to wait for a bus, I'll go and sit here. Especially on a sunny day this is a nice place to sit and relax.

Tucked right into the heart of Point Chevalier, Walker Park is a public domain with obvious…read moretendencies towards sports. The largest park in the area, it is completely flat and houses approximately five full-sized rugby fields which convert into cricket fields throughout the summer. Through winter Walker Park is home to the Point Chevalier Pirates Rugby League Club. Toilet/shower facilities are available for sporting events there also. The grounds appear to be reasonably well kept and provide welcome solace for locals who wish to walk their dogs - on a leash of course! This is a great place in the west of the city to watch the sun go down.

This is a great park to bring the kids or just yourself for a play or picnic, its surrounded by the…read morepeaceful native bush, it has access to the beach if you want to go down there as well. There is the kids playground area with all the standard play things, swings, stuff to climb, slides etc. Then there is the big park which you can walk or run or bike around and stop and do some exercises on the exercise equipment along the way, no need to join a Gym. The park also has big rugby and soccer fields and tennis and squash courts are located here. The best entrance for the playground is if coming from the Beach Haven shops there is an entrance on the left before John Bracken Way. So all in all its a very handy park.