So to be fair my stomach kind of drops when I walk in here. And you're unlikely to see me up the…read morewall unless I'm in a particularly belligerent frame of mind. It's pretty scary. Kids however don't seem to have issues with height; perhaps because indoor rock climbing has become a part of school holiday programmes and most of them have had the opportunity to do it at some point. Mine love it. I don't like watching them up there so to be fair it's not often me that brings them here. Love it or fear it, this is a great place to come and face a mental challenge while getting a different kind of workout. Just go with a buddy - they will responsible for your life. Just kidding. While being part of a pair is helpful it's not necessary as of course Clip'N'Climb has trained safety professionals. One thing to note though is that climbing happens in sessions; on the hour every hour.

Get your sweat on because an hour at Clip N'Climb is an excellent workout. And even better, you're…read morehaving so much you don't even realise it's quite a fair bit of exercise. This indoor climbing is great for wet days but having said that, it's fun regardless of the weather. They have 34 walls of various themes as well as the extra Leap of Faith or Vertical Drop Slide. You go through a brief safety and harness/ auto belays guide at the beginning then let loose onto all the options to climb. The auto belays mean you don't have to have a partner on the floor and that you could come alone and still be able to climb up and get back down no problems. It takes some time getting used to just letting go once you're at the top to drop down but it makes things a lot easier. Love the colorful walls and unconventional climbing holds that sometimes makes for extra challenges. Personal faves though definitely not the most easiest- the ice pick climb, loose rope netting military style and tall wobbly green pole height climb. Highly recommend. Such a great activity for all ages.

A small portion will have been introduced to the game of bowls by an affectionate grandparent, but…read morefor the majority of people, bowls will conjure up pictures of bowed old people in white outfits and caps. Thankfully, I was in the former of these groups and noticed the master stroke of coupling Epsom Bowls with George FM. A live DJ, BBQ and beer on a Sunday? The perfect disguise to lure my friends to the slow lane. During summer afternoons all this was offered, with unlimited games, for only $10 but any day you can play the greens for only $5. The patrons there will be genuinely happy to show you the ropes, an easy game to pick up but tricky to master. Less aggressive than ten-pin bowling, this game involves more control than speed. With two all-weather greens and pétanque you are basically guaranteed a game. A great way to catch up with friends or challenge workmates and get out in the sun with some competition and super cheap beers.

Having decided to try visiting this bird sanctuary on a lark (thanks folks, I'll be here all…read morenight), I was impressed enough with it. One visits by boat either from downtown Auckland (which I imagine is a scenic ride) or from a more remote peninsula near the island where the boat stops just before reaching it (which is nice if you want somewhere free to park for the day). The boat ride is most of the cost; for a small additional fee you get a guided tour lead by one of a remarkably large number of local volunteers. Why not? The guide leads you through the middle of the island with some narration, before finishing at a lighthouse and leaving you the second half of the day to roam alone. There weren't that many visible birds during New Zealand "winter"; you'd here more than you see. The island was once a farm before being purposefully replanted as a forest. Things grow fast here; it looks quite wild. Up to the point of reaching the light house, I'd probably have written a four star review. However, they buried the lead. Exploring alone yielded vast panoramic views of the entire region. The island is centrally located between the city and a variety of other islands. New Zealand's indigenous people are of Polynesian descent, and while you walk around here you might confuse the volcanic landscapes, abundant greenery, and clear turquoise water for a more archetypically Polynesian vacation spot. There are a few swimmable spots. It is a big enough island that there were significant areas of track that I did not see even after hustling around the coastline. Always leave 'em wanting more, the saying goes. If I had occasion to, I wouldn't mine going again, which having paid $60 to see an island that had no trees at the time I was born is something. Tips: *There were a ton of local schoolkids, but the guides kindly separated out kids and adults for the tour, and once you're off the boat, it really isn't an issue. *Adults get free tea and coffee at the end of the tour, but no food. There is literally nothing even to buy. Bring decent food. *A truck loads any bags you might want to leave at the wharf, and carries them to the lighthouse and back, meaning you do not need to carry what you bring while walking the island. *They are very concerned about biosecurity, so wear clean shoes and bring only closed, zippable bags. *Apparently the name means that it's a really windy island. Which it really is. Be ready for wild temperature differences based on wind and shade.

Seriously one of Auckland's greatest outdoor treasures. This pest-free island is a magical place…read morethat harkens back to the days before massive deforestation for farming, hunting, and introduction of pests shrank the population of New Zealand's birds. The bird songs you'll hear here are incredible! Amazing work has been done to reforest native plants and trees, and reintroduce rare birds on this island. You can see hihi (stitchbirds), saddlebacks, kakariki (red crowned parakeets), bellbirds, north island robin, heaps and heaps of tui, wood pigeon, little blue penguins, kokako (if you're lucky) and of course, my favorite - the takahē (a population of less than 300 exist in the world, and this is one of the few places you can see them in the wild - plus BABIES!) So worth paying the $70 to take the ferry out there. Pack your lunch and your sunscreen, bring your swimsuit and good hiking shoes, and get ready for an amazing day. The extra $5 for the guided tour is worth doing at least once. The guides are very knowledgable and will point out the birds and interesting plants and give you a history of the island. However, when we went the second time without the group, we saw heaps more birds, I think as we were separate from many of the larger (noisier) groups. I'm dying to stay overnight at the DOC hut and try to spot a kiwi! The huts are booked well in advance so you're gonna have to troll the website for an opening. Also be sure to book your trip well in advance as the ferry can book up during peak season, and you don't want to miss out!!

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.

Nicholson Park Tennis Courts are some of the best free courts you can find to play a game of tennis…read moreon, which is probably the reason why the place is always packed out, especially in Summer. There are 6 astroturf courts available for public use (aside from when they're booked for Auckland Tennis events) and they're in good condition. The tennis courts are in a nice place, surrounded by a school and fields and a playground. The courts are also opposite the Mount Eden Tennis Club so if you're looking for lessons you could pop across there. You can make bookings.

Great place to walk a woof. Shame the water care are such c- units and remove pictures off then…read morewater tank aye. Stink water care stains

This place is Zuzu & myself's new favourite place to do. Great for the small, medium and bigger…read moredogs. It also caters for all different levels of fitness. I am hopelessly overweight & unfit & yet together we both manage to have a pant worthy walk. Best thing of all.... Everyone is very nice. I think you have to leave your preconceptions & prejudices at the gate, it just isn't tolerated there. The best time of day to go in the summer time is between 5 & 6. The heat of the sun is starting to diminish, plus there are more doggies to say hello to!

I discovered this park one day when out walking. It is tucked away at the end of a no exit street…read more The playground has been recently updated and I think it is a pretty great park. Find a spot at a BBQ table or hang out on the grass, or if you want to get active run up and down the hill at the back of the park.. If you have children I'm sure they would love the new playground. How much fun do those two, bright greeen enclosed slides look?! (I'm yet to actually try them out). When I was at this park last, one family had iPhone in hand and were geocaching. So there might be something really awesome to find... or it might just be a box, who knows?!

Perfect for kids to roam free & play with huge open space across the field. A modern addition is…read morethe kids playground with slides, swing basket, net wall and small climbing features. Great for kids 1-8 years. The grounds are well kept and the nice tree placements between the pavilion & the playground add to the family community atmosphere. Hardly any ppl around so it's a great space for my autistic son who loves the outdoors away from crowded places. Car parks available. Can't go wrong. Enjoy

If you like running laps try Melville Park. It's not huge (which suits me fine) but is flat and has…read morea nice little path around the outside of it. I used to live right next door and if one of our house mates was to lose a bet, the punishment was usually 5 laps of the park. It's fair to say I've run it a few times. The grounds are impeccably well maintained, especially in summer when young cricketers take it over. The gardens around the outside are also worth a mention. The little playground at the top of the park is a favourite for the under 10's gang of Disraeli Street and would be a good place to kick a ball around and then have a bit of a swing

This pool is amazing!! Really!!! I certainly took the pool for granted when I lived in Auckland!…read more I am from New York, but lived in Auckland for two years while getting my Masters degree. In those two years I adopted swimming as my preferred fitness activity. I went to the pool whenever I was stressed or sad or bored, and within minutes of entering the pool, I was as happy as I could ever be. This pool has soooo many things you can't find in New York: - As a student, it only cost me $5 or so to pop by for a swim. Almost every pool (aside from the dingy pools) in New York require membership just to be able to walk into the facility. And even the dingy pools require membership outside of Summer. - It's a 50 meter pool. You would be surprised how rare that is. - It has a kiddie pool, hot tub, jacuzzi, steam room, TWO saunas, a cafe, a gym, fitness classes, SCUBA CLASSES (!!!) an incredible locker room with curtains AND hot water.... really just incredible facilities. Nothing in New York comes close to that. Not even remotely. - The price is absolutely insane. Again, I only paid $5 to swim, and they don't force you to get a membership or anything. The only establishment that I've been to that comes close to this pool is Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. But a day pass is $50 USD (So maybe $60 NZD.... just for the day). Yearly membership for the pool alone is over $600. I would do anything to be able to go back to this pool. Count your lucky stars, Aucklanders!!!! ;)

Sometimes if we have kid-free time at the weekend and are feeling righteous we use the gym here…read morebefore having a swim. I like it when gyms aren't painful about casual visitors and the ones run by Auckland City Council are really a bargain. We had a good time here as we usually work out without machines so each time we're in a new gym it's all new and exciting. Which is a really helpful feeling to have about exercise. Don't come here though if you're a complete novice; the staff are more interested in posing than assisting the clients. Which is fine with us. There's probably more cardio machines here than I've seen anywhere else along with everything else you might need; weights, kettle bells, Swiss balls, stretching mats... This place is the ideal set-up because it really has everything; there's a cafe, creche, sauna, group fitness and personal trainers, nutritionist and physio all on site. And what's left of the original building's character is beautiful. Aucklanders of my vintage will remember when the Newmarket Pool was the place to go in summer and hang out on the concrete terraces in the sunshine. It's now of course covered in but they did the best job they could retaining the building's Deco character. It's a pretty busy pool and there's no dedicated "frolicking" area so you need to avoid the serious swimmers if you're just in for a dip. The curved spa at the end gets crazy crowded which is less than relaxing but that's what you get in the populated areas. The changing rooms here have some interesting features, particularly the strips of clear glass at strategic height in the showers. So you can have a moderate level of privacy but not for the body parts where you really it. My husband has a hilarious story about one of our visits involving a clearly very body-confident man hoisting his leg up on a bench to blowdry his nether regions - yes with the hairdryer. Personal space being at a premium when it's busy it was apparently quite an eyeful. Not sure this is a selling point but it's certainly bloody funny.

Yesterday the swimming pool was the dirtiest I have ever seen it. There were clumps of hair…read morefloating and the water looked murky and unclear. Unfortunately I won't be going back there. Very unhygienic.

Situated quietly in Bellevue Road, this is still a bit of a secret. We come here when we don't have…read morea lot of time and just really need a dip; nothing flash, no slides, diving boards or carry-on, just a good old basic swimming pool. I love that even during summer school holidays it's not particularly busy. Whenever we've visited, there's only been half a dozen or so other groups which is unheard of at the more popular pools. The Dean Greenwood swim school operates out of here so like most of the public pools, you should check your times if you don't want to be surrounded by splashing kiddies. There's sweet and salty snacks available at the counter (ok junk food), and a range of togs and goggles etc. Cheap as chips, and although heated year round, the temperature is lovely and cool on a hot day making this place perfect any time. It's everything you need and nothing more.