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.

This is one of my most favourite places to bring my dog, the lawns are so vast and the views are…read moreincredible here. Parking is easy as there is lots of free parking on site and navigating the grounds is also a cinch because of the walking track. I have never let my dog off the leash here it just doesn't feel right for some reason? I am unsure what the official rules are regarding dogs but it's better to be safe. The TSB Wallace Arts Centre also makes this place extra special standing majestically in the middle of the grounds. I like to pretend that it is my house and I'm simply taking a walk around my endless garden. If you are fitness focused, this place really can deliver as a walking or running destination as it is quite a large circuit with lots of inclines and declines! The views here as mentioned before also make it an excellent spot for a romantic picnic (tried and tested).

Monte Cecilia lies semi-hidden , off Hillsborough and Mt Albert Road - with the best parking up by…read morethe Pah Homestead, where the TSB James Wallace Art Gallery resides. The park spreads out from this high point , curving away down to the road on one side, the school on the other, and looking out over the Manukau Harbor on the far right. The park has the biggest collection of Northern Hemisphere trees in New Zealand - and they are certainly big themselves. When I play disc golf here, I usually have to dedicate at least half an hour to climbing trees to retrieve discs- provided, of course, they aren't at the very top of an old oak tree. There is a course available at : http://www.discgolf.co.nz/monteCourseDescription.htm, but the map can be a bit confusing - so it's worth contacting the contact available on that page to get shown around. Afterwards you can stop off for a coffee in the cafe, or head to Cameron Pools for a nice dip.

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.

Another favourite with the dogs, Sylvan Park is located on the Northern side of Lake Pupuke and is…read moreless well-known than the South side, where the Pump house is. This suits both me and the dogs just fine. We are more than happy to roam the grassy embankment, play catch and discover new bush trails alone. Enter the park behind the tennis courts on Dodson Ave. Head down the RHS of the back courts and you will find yourself on a trail. Go right and you will end up at the back of Milford Primary (15 - 20mins), where there is a boat ramp if you want to go for a dip (too much swan poop for me - be each their own). Head left and you end up in an opening, which if you keep following round turns into the main part of the park. Here you will find toilets, BBQs and Madloop Windsurfing School. Whilst Sylvan Park ain't huge, it's a great daytime option during summer when our four legged friends are banned from the beaches!

Fantastic little inner city escape with lake beside it and away from the hustle of the city!read more

Not a "city" walk at all - this is an incredible rainforest trail about 30 mins away from Auckland…read more The minute you step foot onto the trail, you're immersed in the Waitakere Ranges Jurassic-vibes rainforest full of massive ferns towering over your head, ancient Kauri and Kahikatea trees, and all sorts of exotic birds singing alongside the Waitakere River. The trail is very well maintained and there are even more info signs in some spots telling you a bit about the plants and even the giant Wētā (grasshopper) if you're lucky enough to spot one lol! Parts of the trail are gravel with some sections of dirt and also some wooden boardwalks with benches. The incline on the section we hiked was gentle and very easy but there are sections that get pretty intense if you go further. We saw lots of birds - the ubiquitous New Zealand Tui (they have an amazing song!!), colorful Eastern Rosellas, giant New Zealand Wood Pigeons, Welcome Sparrows, Paradise Ducks, Swamphens, and even a Fantail and Grey Warbler! Epic birding spot! My only regret was not being able to get pics of the Fantail and warbler - they were just too fast lol! We were lucky enough to visit this trail on an eco tour with Bush & Beach (highly recommend). I wasn't comfortable driving it as I'm from the US and they drive on the left in NZ lol - glad we did bc these roads are steep and winding eek!! lol But guides Meredith and Ayla were fantastic drivers and so knowledgeable!! They taught us all about the gorgeous silver ferns and gothic black ferns, the ancient and mystical Kauri trees, and we even found some wild bush asparagus - and so much more! There's a small gravel parking lot at the trailhead but no bathrooms. In order to access the trail you have to pass thru a boot cleaning station to prevent pest and disease from plaguing the pristine forest. There's also some sort of lava rock hand washing fountain. Truly an incredible experience and my fave hike we did in all of our North Island adventures - highly recommend!!

Although it's not an arduous walk in summer you still warm up pretty quick. A swim starts to seem…read morepretty appealing, and that's where the walk tricks you - it seems like there are ample opportunities for swimming, either in the creek by the bridge or in the pool by the waterfall. But there's a Goldilocks situation at work here - the creek is too shallow, and the pool is too cold. And there's no option that we found which is just right. But this is a minor complaint, if it's even that. You're here to walk, not to swim, and the walk itself is nice, plenty of shade and nice little scenes of water and trees. There are kauri trees out here, so they're doing what they can to fight the dieback - there are shoe-washing stations at the beginning and end of the walk which you'll need to use if you don't want to be a nature-hating tree killer.

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.

Follow the brown pebble road, follow the brown pebble road, following, following, following,…read morefollowing, follow the brown pebble road. While this path may not lead you to the Emerald City, it will get you to Cox's Bay waterfront. If you time your walk right, you should catch a beautiful sunset. West Coast is the best coast..whooo! Meander along the path through green, open spaces filled with large shade trees. There are a few benches to have a sit down while listening to birds and the water flowing along both sides of the reserve. Continue walking across the bridge through the mangroves. If you can make it during high tide you'll avoid the stale smell of slow moving water. It's not awful..but..yeah it ain't roses and jasmine either. Once you've passed the mangrove, what appears next is a vast open field. The area is big enough to have several groups of dogs frolicking and rolling around in the grass. Humans also have enough space to have numerous games of Frisbee, Soccer, Baseball (er Rugby?) without ruining into each other. So bring your toys and your dogs and have some fun. Don't forget to walk to the waterfront. It's unfortunate one can not swim there, that would be awesome. Nevertheless there is a bench for you to have a rest, while watching the day pass away with the Sun.

Absolutely Stunning…read more I came into the reserve from the obscure Richmond Road entrance. It was totally breathtakingly beautiful. On a sunny day, this would be a beautiful place to have a family picnic. I'm used to city life, so visiting Cox's Bay Reserve was a very peaceful experience. I'll definitely be back.

Just returned from the 2015 event and it was awesome! Despite the extra volumes of people visiting…read moreWaiheke for the weekend (several events on) the staff at Fullers were friendly and well organised, even adding an extra ferry to get us all there. A shuttle bus takes walkers from the ferry carpark to the start of the Sculpture trail - this is $5 for the day and can be bought ahead of time when you purchase your ferry ticket in Auckland which was very handy. All the staff on site from the shuttle drivers to on-site Art experts are very knowledgable and friendly. The art on display changes with each exhibition - this year's collection were all different and wonderful to view (and in some cases) explore. Despite the number of visitors on the sunny day I visited (the second to last day of the exhibit), it did not feel over-crowded and there were plenty of opportunities for quiet contemplation amongst the stunning Waiheke island scenery, and with stunning views across the gulf back to the city. A marquee hosted smaller sculptures, an event-specific restaurant, Waiheke island wines and beer and live music - a great place to catch up with friends either pre-or post-walk or before your ferry home. An excellent day out and a great way to explore our city!

Sculpture on the Gulf is different every time it happens. My advice is to go on a cloudy day or set…read moreoff early in the morning, because walking this track in the midday heat is a bit much in the height of summer. A couple of highlights this year were the dog agility course and the runway - where you could select dress-up clothes and then walk the catwalk with the backdrop of the gorgeous Gulf behind you. There are also more traditional sculptures, and everything inbetween. I also recommend taking advantage of the guides, who can give you background information about the pieces, but it's equally nice to explore by yourself too. Bring your camera!