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.

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.

This park has netball courts and a large football / rugby field…read more Some of the cleaner public facilities I've encountered. Club rooms are run by the Ellerslie Eagels and there is a small kiddies playground at the Amy St side . The overall maintenance of grounds is really good , I always see council staff working here . A good flat outdoor space .

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.

This park is a regular of mine, I always turn to it in times of need. When I'm looking for…read moresomewhere fun to walk my dog? I come here because there is a large open field for her to run in, as well as forest type track walks for her to explore. When I'm looking for a natural location for photoshoots? I come here because it's local, it has great parking as well as looking untamed much like forests that you would find out of Auckland (just in a miniature scale). The reserve also offers barbecues, tables, a sportsfield with a cricket pitch, netball and tennis courts as well as half courts. As I said before, there is plenty of street parking which is free, so even if you aren't into sports, come here and have a barbie on their electric bbq's!

Windmill reserve is actually the shit. It's a good sized field, surrounded by big pine trees and a…read morebit of a track that you can walk along. It's great for exploring and I take photos back there sometime and pretend I've taken them somewhere out of the city in a secret location or something. Next to the field is a set of in Winter - netball courts, in Summer - tennis courts. All free to play on. Yeah, they're kind of concrete and shitty, but they're still cool and there's heaps of them so you're likely to find space if you want to have a game. The best. Full Disclosure: I live near here so I'm kind of biased.

I played for College Rifles a while back and it was during the development phase of re-building a…read morefew things at the clubrooms. I actually loved it back then and it seems to have improved since! College Rifles is home to many sports and the facilities reflect that. They've got great astro turf pitches (suitable for most grass sports) that they've had for three years now, which is proving to be a good investment- they're also available for hire for non-club members. The indoor grass training area behind the clubrooms is great and I've been spectator to a few of the games the younger boys had on wet-weather training days. The netball and squash courts also add to the long list of what makes this multi-purpose venue so darn good. The clubrooms are a great post-game hangout on Saturdays for a quiet drink or the beginning of your night. College Rifles is a great club to play for and I'd recommend it to anyone keen on team sports, or take a visit down to the clubrooms and check what they have to offer- which is just about everything you could want from a sports club.

Apparently, this club has a reputation around Auckland for being the "posh club," the one that is…read morefull of well to do Remuerians (yeah, totally just made that word up) and all a bit la-de-da. However, I'm pleased to announce that (in my humble experience at least) it's not like that at all. Everyone I've come across since joining one of College Rifles many sports teams has been lovely. Perhaps the reason the club's reputation precedes it like this is because the facilities here are really good. It's obviously a well looked after club, you can see that straight away from the pristine rugby and hockey pitches on view as you pull into the car park...Speaking of which, one of the things about the place that I'm very grateful of is it's ample amounts of parking. There's also a great social aspect to the club too, with a bar and bistro onsite that is used for occasions in the sporting calendar such as award ceremonies and prize givings for each of the teams. I really can't fault this place; it has everything you could possibly need in a multi-sports club, including a fitness suite and indoor and outdoor synthetic grass training areas, so almost any sport is available to get involved in.

This year I was proud to take part in the 11th Annual Coastal Challenge. The start of the challenge…read morestarted as far north as Arkles Bay in Whagaparoa 33 km from the finish line of Windsor Reserve in Devonport. I however did not do the full monty option as they call it, and instead opted for a more achievable distance for a first time challenge; the 6km run/walk from Hauraki corner of Takapuna beach to Devonport. I was very pleased with the course, I joined hundreds of the people race towards the finish and it was a thrill and success to take part in such a worthy cause, the charity partner Hospice North Shore, use all money raised from the coastal challenge to support the community palliative care team. The challenge is also divided into age categories : under 20, 20-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60 plus. The events to choose from we're 6km,11km,17km, 22km, and 33km. You can either run or walk. The course included racing along the beach, climbing along rocks and occasionally getting a bit wet, but nothing over the knee. I know that the larger distances definitely include some water time. Views were just sensational along the way of Rangitoto, and all the beautiful beaches from Takapuna to Narrowneck. I look forward to challenging my distance next year with a few more km's.