This is such a wonderful beautiful park. We landed in Auckland after a long flight and just wanted…read moreto stretch and get some fresh air, this was the perfect choice! We took the field trail up, I did it in sandals but sneakers or hiking shoes would be better, and we took the road on the way down. There were people having picnics, kids playing, dogs walking, people just enjoins the great outdoors. As we started the trail you can see cattle, a small cafe, and more at the bottom. As you climb the views are amazing. A 360 panoramic view of Auckland is visible from the top. It was just a majestic view from the top. Walk is easy, the views are spectacular, the trees are so unique and huge, it was lovely.

Lovely food great setting. The staff are friendly and it's a great place for families…read more 5 star

After having worked near this beast of a mountain for over a year , And after a talk with Alex D…read moreabout what things u you should do in this super city of ours , I was prompted to check out Mt Wellington . Maungarei / Mount Wellington was used as a pā, and its flanks, particularly on the eastern side, are covered in food storage pits and terraced house sites. That wee fact above pasted from Wiki was just as amazing to me , I had no idea it was a pā site . I'm guessing you need to be a athlete of sorts to run up it as I've seen many do , however that was a non option for me today , I will try to tackle that in the future though . With views for as far as you can see !! And a great place for a picnic . If you have visitors from overseas bring them here ! Way less crowds than Mt Eden and One Tree Hill .

Mount Wellington is the most sinister of the "mountains" around Auckland (cynical South Islanders,…read morechuckle now). If it wasn't the model for Maurice Gee's terrifying Under the Mountain, it should have been. I shudder just to look at it. If you like, you can drive up it. Or, if you're a sadist, run up it. At the top is a rest stop with room for approximately 1.5 cars, overlooking Panmure (not the most visually spectacular of the Auckland suburbs), and on the other side, the old quarry, which now has a pretentious name because they are infilling it with ticky-tacky houses that all look the same as the others (which I've heard is a real challenge when you come home slightly tipsy - lots of knocking on the neighbours' doors and apologies ensue).

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.

The Waitakere ranges was one of the biggest draw cards for my husband and I to settling out West…read morewhen we moved here last year from Australia. The West of Auckland has a hit and miss reputation, but that is ok, so does Tasmania in Aus where we were living for the last five years. We have managed to go camping out in Whatipu, Waitakere Ranges, once so far, visited most of the beaches, and done a couple of tramps around the bush a bit closer to the city side. No major, hard-core tramps/camps for days on end, but more leisurely 'park the car day trips' kind of thing. I would highly recommend going with the kids if you are interested too, there is a variety of walks set out that would suit many levels of fitness. It is also well maintained with conservation awareness well set up, so taking the kids would be educational as well as the many other blessings you get when you go.

This past Easter weekend, my family and I spent two of the four days travelling across the…read moreWaitakere ranges. First visit was to the amazing Bethells Beach to get through the ranges, we had to start our journey at scenic drive, merging with Te Henga road, and then Bethells road which travels up the northern ridge of the ranges. We travelled through the beautiful cascade Kauri zone (where if you're keen for stretching the legs walk the 8 km track to see the biggest Kauri trees in Auckland) and finally arrived at the west coast- Bethells Beach. The drive is purely scenic as its name describes, and nature at its finest. The other journey I took was to Huia and Whatipu Beach, We started at Titirangi, and following signs headed towards the southern part of the ranges, first you past turn off's for Cornwallis, Huia and once in Little Huia, follow the Whatipu road which climbs up into the forest before plunging down towards Whatipu and the beach- this road is gravel and very twisty so be prepared for the drive. I really enjoyed my adventures through the ranges and loved the scenery and beaches I found.

Thanks to our New Zealand friends (Geoffrey and Margaret), whom we met the year before during our…read morecruise through Southeast Asia, for planning a day of fun, exercise, and good eats in Auckland. We started with a hike up Mount Eden (Maungawhau), a dormant volcano and the highest natural point in Auckland, offering panoramic views of the city from its summit. As we hiked uphill along pathways and boardwalks to the summit, our friends explained that Mount Eden is a culturally significant Māori site, pointing out its historical Māori pā (fortified village) terraces and its sacred 160-ft-deep crater. It took us about 18 minutes to hike up from the parking lot to the summit while following the pathway to the boardwalks. The uphill hike was relatively easy with an elevation gain of nearly 240 feet, and I was sure glad that my osteoarthritic knee wasn't "acting up." We prepared for this hike by taking physically challenging shore excursions and actively exercising pre- and during our cruise. After all, we didn't want to reach the summit wheezing and out of breath, because we truly wanted to enjoy the panoramic views and take in the cultural and historical background from our younger friends. It was very windy atop and along the summit boardwalks, and I had to either hold on or lean into the handrails, otherwise be blown about like tumbleweed. At the summit, we were treated to a 360° panoramic view of Auckland city, its nearby neighborhoods, the iconic Sky Tower, Auckland Harbor Bridge, Rangitoto Island, and a glimpse of the South towards the Auckland Airport. Instead of returning to our vehicle the same way we had climbed up, our friends guided us downhill on a less steep, paved private roadway. Our round-trip hike took about an hour, and it was a beautiful day to spend with friends, enjoying iconic sights and learning about Māori history and culture.

At 196 meters high, Mount Eden, a dormant volcano, is the highest natural point in Auckland. It…read morewas named in honour of George Eden, the 1st Earl of Auckland (a white guy), by Governor William Hobson (another white guy). In the Māori language, Mount Eden is called Maungawhau, which means "mountain of the whau tree". At the top of Mount Eden/Maungawhau is a large, grassy crater 50 meters deep which is sacred to the Māori and must not be entered. Mount Eden/Maungawhau is a popular for hiking, and while it is not a long or difficult hike, there are steep sections. Around the crater are boardwalks that were installed in 2020 for people to take a stroll. Fortunately when we went hiking on Mount Eden/Maungawhau, the weather was nice, although it was quite windy at the top. I took a lot of photos to try and capture the beauty of the area, but it's something you just have to experience in person. If you like hiking and nature, don't miss Mount Eden/Maungawhau. [Yelp collections: NZ/Fiji 2023; New Zealand 2023; Hiking]

You can walk for hours along the Harbourview Walkway and experience a variety of terrain. Parking…read moreis easy at Orangihina Park (465 Te Atatu Road). You can walk South or North from here. We went North. You immediately go through a tunnel of trees on a nice gravel and paved pathway, this walks by a number of storm catchment ponds with lush plant life. There are several beach areas including Harbor View Beach Reserve which has nice views toward Auckland City and some sea wall and boardwalks. Continuing north you go inland a bit from the sea with several nice grassy parks. At the northernmost part of the trail is the Whau West Walkway which traverses boardwalk areas over the marsh with yet more varieties of plant life. We did a 2.5 mile each way out and back and were glad we did this longer walk as the plant life and views changed quite a bit throughout the walk.

I stumbled across this great wee spot last time I was out West. Located off Te Atatu Road,…read moreHarborview is a park that boasts the most spectacular view of Auckland City. Despite growing up and living in Auckland, I'd never seen a view of the city like this. You could see everything from the North Shore and the Harbour Bridge, to the Skytower and high-rises and all the way out to Mt Albert, Point Chevalier and Blockhouse Bay. Unfortunately at the time I was there it was raining, but on a clear sunny day I can only imagine how much better the view would be. Despite the bad weather, when I was last there a wedding was taking place, and I couldn't help but appreciate how great the location was for such a special occasion. There is a little decked area that the ceremony was being held on, and while facing the bride and groom, the guests could also appreciate the brilliant view of the city. Definitely a good place to keep in mind if you're planning your big day and you're Auckland locals! Harbourview would also be a lovely place to park up and enjoy a picnic and run around with the kids.

Rangitoto was definitely a highlight of our visit to Auckland. We had a free day and wanted to get…read moresome exploring in, so we took the 10:30 ferry ride on over which was quick and beautiful. The range in microclimate hiking to the summit was fascinating. There were times where it was unbearably hot and then others when it was cool and wet. So interesting! The views, unsurprisingly, were magnificent.

We booked this tour through Fullers/360 Discovery Tours. They made it very simple to find the…read morecorrect dock, pick up our ferry tickets, and hop on board to the island. It was a fun little cruise to Rangitoto and then a very well organized tour and hike once there. We boarded an open-sided cart pulled by a truck/tractor, and it drove us all over the island - with our guide pointing out neat sights along the way, including volcanic fields, old dwellings where the WWII soldiers used to bunk, and some flora and fauna that we passed: birds and pōhutukawa trees (of which Rangitoto is the largest forest in the world). We stopped at the foot of the summit, and those who wanted to venture to the top hopped onto the boardwalk that runs alongside the mountain. It was an easy climb along the flat winding boardwalk, but the views do get a little daunting for those afraid of heights. There is a stop along the way called the crater summit track. Here you can walk around the edge/ring of this very large and very deep volcanic crater. There were lots of beautiful trees and scenic views to stop and see/snap photos of along the way. You can see Motutapu Island from the summit, where it connects to Rangitoto. Our guide said that some people hike from Rangitoto to Motutapu along the causeway connection, but we did not have time for that on this tour. Once we snagged our photos at the top of the summit, we headed back down and then boarded the vehicle again to meander back around the island to the dock and start our journey home. Overall, I would say this island (as part of a tour or a self guided hike with your own ferry pass) is a great way to spend a day. Hiking, beautiful views, and the sights of New Zealand that you don't get from just staying in Auckland!

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.