Despite being a bit scared of dogs, Mt Eden Dog Park is one of my favourite places in Auckland…read more Situated halfway up the mountain, it has a brilliant view for you to enjoy while letting your dog (or in my case, my friend's dog) have a good run around. I've spent hours up there over the years, gossiping and catching up with my best friend. We often take milkshakes bought in Mt Eden Village up there with us, and it's a really nice way to spend a few hours in the afternoon. The park itself is big enough for your dog to have a good run and explore, while also offering a trough of water to keep them hydrated. Bonus: Every now and again couches magically appear in the dog park, and tucking up on them with a friend and yum drink is a great way to enjoy the amazing view.

I am not a dog lover or even an animal lover. Dogs scare me and for a reason. I have been chased…read moreand nearly bitten by dogs so it took a lot of strength for me to even go to the dog park. A friend of mine has a dog a cute dog called Million. She is the first dog I have ever patted and she is a bundle of joy. My friend and I took her for a walk and we ended up at dog park with other dogs. It was rather interesting watching the dogs interact with each other. The owners of the dogs all got along and talked about their dogs. I actually had a lovely time and I learnt something different.

My best Panmure Basin story involves me coming across at man while I was out on a mid-week walk…read morearound the Basin. He was down at the water's edge, in a suit and tie and looking very smart, but he was throwing a stick for his dog like it was the weekend. As I got closer I noticed he was talking quite loudly into his cell phone, something along the lines of "Oh nah mate we're absolutely flat out here, it's so full-on, I can't talk mate, I've gotta go, I'm in a meeting". And I thought "Good on ya mate". I love walking my dog around Panmure Basin. She's only little so it takes us the best part of an hour to get around the whole thing. It's a great spot to walk or run since there's car parking (not heaps, but enough), and most of the walkway is in good condition, although there are places where the tree roots are busting through.

The Basin is an idyllic recreational facility located in Panmure just off the Pakuranga Highway…read more The track around the basin is a decent 3.6 kilometres, and is perfect for both joggers and walkers - I have lots of memories running around and around lap after lap when I was young and crazy and ran much more than I currently do. There are lots of exercise stations located around the basin, so you can have quite an all-rounded workout mixing up running and body-weight resistance training. There are a decent number of seats to stop and sit at if you get a bit tired, and also a few hills in the mix for that extra challenge on your morning jog. Dogs are allowed and there are plenty of toilets located around the track, making for a convenient and attractive exercise location with lots of facilities available.

Madills Farm is one of several reserves amongst the evergreen Eastern Suburbs…read more Madills Farm is a versatile reserve, popular with dog walkers, runners and cyclists (mainly of younger age groups) alike. It is also the home ground of Eastern Suburbs Football Club meaning goals are readily available for the next Ronaldo to practise and during summer, cricket pitches are laid for the next Richard Hadlee. The tracks circling the park provide an ideal route for runners, allowing a break for the bustling Auckland Waterfront along Tamaki Drive. There is a playground at the Allum St end for chidren and parking on the street around the majority of the periphery of Madills Farm.

Being from Christchurch and hence afraid now of every variance on the potential natural disaster…read morescenario, I am not a fan at all of finding out that the place I am enjoying having a walk around is actually one of the volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Ring. (I tend to put it to the back of my mind that Auckland was in fact settled upon 55 volcanic craters) luckily this one is no longer active and last erupted 85,000 years ago. The tidal lagoon this eruption spawned is now used for everything from various outdoor pursuits to water sports by a wealth of Aucklander's in the know. The walking track itself is 2.88k so is a great distance for people of all fitness levels and inclinations and short enough that you won't have any complaints from even the hardiest of exercise dodgers.. I love the fact too that most of the walkway itself is over boardwalks!

A little gem just 5 min away from CBD. If you want to take your dog for a walk - definitely give it…read morea go

A dog friendly park along the coast of Eastern Beach, this place is smothered with hills, forested…read moreways and big stretches of grass. You can walk on and off leash all the way down to the beach, then back up again. It's a solid, long walk, taking 30 - 45 mins, depending on your route and walking speed. Be sure your dog is friendly to other dogs, as you will encounter many along the way. I thought this place was good, but not very well signposted, as you can find yourself going around in a few circles. The path is very gravelly and dusty at the moment, which would probably be muddy after raining, so wear a good pair of walking shoes. Other than that, an enjoyable walk.

I was pretty stoked to check out Macleans Park with my little Aussie terrier Tilly this weekend…read morewhile the sun was beaming. Macleans Park runs parallel to the beautiful Eastern beach which is also dog off-lead friendly. However, during daylight savings no dogs are allowed on the beach from 9AM-7PM. We got there a little bit before 9 and were able to play fetch in the ocean for a wee bit before walking the park. Overall the park is quite large and there are some really beautiful views of Rangitoto and the Hauraki Gulf especially on a sunny day. There are sports fields, bush sections, and even some mountain biking tracks. Although there are very defined walking tracks they all seem to be a bit random and rarely seem to connect. Therefore, we ended up on quite a few dead ends or decoy paths and it didn't feel continuous or cohesive. I kept feeling like I was lost or forced to choose to make a decision to go left or right without any maps or sign-posting. If you know the park, you probably wouldn't even notice this bugbear but it makes it feel like you are walking to nowhere and in random circles. Overall, Macleans park is nice but as someone who has so much choice out in West Auckland, the park doesn't compare.

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.

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!

When my 6 year old nephew comes to stay with me, we spend a lot of time at this park! It's super…read moreclose to where I live and it has different play grounds to suit different ages, There is a "little kid's" playground with safe swings and slides that aren't so long or steep and there is also a "big kid's" playground that's quite separate. You have to climb up some stairs to get to it. I think the separation is quite good though because quite often the little kids can be a bit intimidated of the boisterous big kids. In this playground there is a huge slide going down the side of the hill which was great fun for my nephew and also a big flying fox. I would definitely recommend to parents or babysitters because there is space to park and it's not right on a busy road.

I walk or drive past this park pretty much every single day and have never really paid it much…read moreattention until I was stuck in traffic outside it the other day as the sun was setting and it struck me how beautiful the view is from there. You can literally see all the way out to Hobson Bay. It's always got stuff going on too: games of cricket (as it's home to Parnell Cricket Club), which attract really big crowds, kids sports games and I even see crazy people doing bootcamp there at stupid times of the morning. It has the distinct advantage of being completely flat, which is something of a rarity in parks in Auckland, I've noticed! When there's nothing going on there, it's the perfect place to just go chill out in the sun with a book or take the dog for a walk. It's really clean, well maintained and reasonably quiet around when is isn't rush-hour traffic time.

Also known as Shore Road and Bloodworth Park, Thomas Bloodworth Park is great for all different…read morekinds of activities. We usually utlilise the park for games of touch and the occasional game of kicks, however it is now used by a wide range of groups. The flat ground is ideal for sport and it doesn't get too wet during the winter. Floodlights are also available, if organised with the council. There are fitness classes held here such as boot camps, it is home to the Parnell Cricket Club, with pitches across both areas of the park in summer, with nets at both ends. There is a track which has been built which borders Hobson Bay, providing a scenic route for runners and walkers alike. There is a playground near the cricket club facilities with a regular coffee cart frequenting the carpark. Other vendors include florists, grocers, sushi, and sometimes even whitebait if you're lucky.