Walking in Auckland
My family and I love living in the Auckland area for many reasons. One of them being that there are many family-friendly walks in Auckland. We have the absolute best time when we are walking together. The flora and fauna in this city are incredible and there are some jaw-dropping views to be seen on these 10 family-friendly walks in Auckland.
Every weekend, if the weather is nice, we try to get outside and accomplish one of these walks. They are so accessible, easy and allow us to enjoy our time together and get our exercise in! The kids have an absolute blast, as they love to either hit up the park or run freely through the many green areas.
Make sure to read through to the end as I go over the best child equipment for accomplishing these walks in Auckland.
FYI: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
1. Mangemangeroa Path
Our family thoroughly enjoyed this awesome walk in East Auckland that many of our friends hadn’t even heard of. The path is ideal for walking toddlers or preschoolers, with little ones being in a front or back carrier. The view at the beginning of the walk makes you question whether or not you’re actually still in Auckland as it looks out onto farmland and wild bush. Along the way we were greeted by some pretty cool birds including a friendly fantail and a wood pigeon.
This walk does go all the way to Shelley Beach, which is about an hour long hike. We opted to just do the loop (about 30 min) which took us around to a huge open area that we ran across to get to our car.
Since we did this hike in the evening we were blessed with a beautiful orange and pink sky as the sun went down to the sound of our giggles and birdsong.
2. Tamaki Path
This is one of our favourite paths. We have done variations of it over 50 times (I’m not even joking), and we love, love, love it. It never gets old. There are so many great things about this path.
First things first: parking. A great place to park is along Dunkirk Road close to the amazing Mt. Wellington War Memorial playground, which has some pretty awesome equipment including a flying fox. There are also toilets and a few picnic tables by the playground as well.
The path starts right next to the playground and runs along the water’s edge heading north. There are a great many trees and benches that the kids like to climb on and pretend they are on ships or canoes. Bring along a picnic and enjoy it under the trees, in the field, or on a picnic table.
The walkway leads up to the Pt. England Reserve which also has a parking lot, large field, toilets, playground, picnic tables, and a quaint little beach which I believe is dog-friendly as well. The path is pretty flat, making it good for the toddlers and pre-schoolers who want to bike or scoot.
Prams are totally a go here and of course you can’t go wrong with a front or back carrier for the little ones. Don’t forget the sunscreen as there is little tree cover and that New Zealand sun is a mighty one, folks.
Enjoy the incredible view of the water, trees and the mighty Mt. Wellington. This is one you don’t want to miss out on.
3. Ambury Farm Park
Out of all the walks that I will go over in this post, this is the one that our kids love the best. My kids are in animal heaven when they get to Ambury Park. This place is packed with horses, cows, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, roosters, and rabbits to name a few.
Ambury Park has many facilities like picnic tables, barbeques, and toilets to help make the meal break a little easier after your walk amongst the animals.
4. Oakley Creek Walkway and waterfall
When we took this walk our son was still quite little so I wore him in the front carrier the entire time. Our daughter started in the stroller but ended up walking towards the end as she was very into the many sticks and leaves that we saw along the way.
We started this walk from the Waterview Reserve and parked our car in front of the playground where there are a handful of parking spots. Apparently you can also access this walk from Phyllis Reserve and there is also parking at this location as well.
The walk is very lovely and well covered in some spots with a lots of ferns and palms lining the Creek. Once we got to the end of our walk there are a few steps to make it down to the waterfall so we had to bring the stroller down some stairs. If you’re not into the whole stroller and step thing then definitely ditch the the pram and opt for the carriers for your kids and good ol’ legs to do the job.
5. Western Springs
Our family thoroughly enjoyed this walk through Western Springs for a number of reasons. For one, there is a massive playground that our children did not want to leave and I don’t know how many times I told them “we are leaving in 5 minutes”.
The path surrounds a great lake that is packed with swans, geese and ducks. We also spotted A LOT of eels and numerous pukeko dashing around the lake side.
6. Mt. Wellington
Another one of our family favourites is the great Maungarei or Mount Wellington. What a sight! I find it hard to peel my eyes away from this beautiful volcano – it is so majestic!
At the base of Mt. Wellington you will find a small car park with plenty of street parking. If you come in the evening, perhaps park on the road, because they close the gate to the small car park. I may or may not have had to leave my car there overnight and had to walk home…
Strollers can be taken up the mount, however the track to the summit is a climb and has steps. I have seen people leave their strollers at the base of the summit track and then continue to the top without one.
At the base of the summit track is a large field, picnic table and amazing views of the Auckland city and Rangitoto Island!
7. Panmure Basin
A short drive from Maungarei across the Panmure-Ellerslie Highway, sits the Panmure Basin. This 3 km walk encircles a large body of tidal water that has a volcanic crater. Along the walk you will come across many benches, picnic tables, adult workout equipment, and two playgrounds – one being enclosed in a fenced area.
This path is great for strollers, and only has a couple hills that will get your calves burning a little. I suggest going at high tide, and make sure to bring sun screen as there are only a few tree covered spots.
8. Hamlins hill Regional Park
Mutukaroa or Hamlins Hill, is an easy walk to beautiful pastures with some pretty spectacular views. Your kids will love spotting the sheep and wildlife as you make your way through this beautiful green space.
Our daughter loved running free once we got to the top as there is a large wide open space that is great for toddler freedom runs.
9. Cornwall Park
A definite family favourite in Auckland for many locals is Cornwall Park! Cornwall Park is a definite must do if you are in Auckland. I recommend visiting their website before you go so that you can see what events may be happening on location. A couple of times we were lucky enough to take part in a few family activities at the Huia Lodge that the kids really enjoyed.
There is plenty of parking in Cornwall Park, but definitely come early on a holiday or event day because sometimes the ideal parking gets filled up pretty quick! On site there is a cafe, bistro, and creamery, that you can enjoy. If you prefer to bring your own food there is plenty of picnic space, barbeques and picnic tables.
Follow the paths to different sites and scenes as you explore this amazing park or hang out at their amazing playground complete with a flying fox.
10. Mt. Eden
Mount Eden is a definite treat for the whole family. We carried both our kids up this track, however this would be great for a stroller or pram as well. A recent addition to Mount Eden in the last couple years is their awesome new boardwalk. It is soo very “gram” worthy and looks pretty darn good with the Auckland skyline in the background. Just talking about this walk makes me want to stop typing and get the heck up there, it’s that good!
hiking/walking kids equipment
1. A good stroller
I recommend having a good stroller to help you complete some of these walks. We have literally gone through 5 strollers in our lifetime of having kids and I wish we had just bought one in the first place . I remember thinking we should had just spent the money in the beginning to get this stroller, but we ended up trying to take short-cuts which lead to us buying the stroller in the end anyway!
Below are a few pros and cons about this particular stroller.
Pros
1. Single to Double Seats – You can start off by buying the single unit of this stroller and then buy the second seat for the second child once the time comes.
2. Durability – This stroller is very durable. We have gone over many a rock, curb, and tree stump pushing both our kids.
3. Ride Quality – When pushing the stroller there is such a smooth and easy feel to it.
4. Looks – The look of the stroller is very chic and modern.
5. Adjustable Handlebar – This feature is great when changing from me to my hubby.
6. Reclining Seats – Very handy for when one of the kids falls asleep.
7. Under carrier – The under carrier compartment is very large and flexible for all sorts of sizes and weight of items.
8. Slim fit – Being that this stroller is NOT a side-by-side double pram, you are able to maneuver around in shops with a lot of ease.
9. Additional pieces – You can also purchase the car seat adapter for the newborn capsule and there is also a bassinet that can attach to the pram as well.
Cons
1. No Cupholder – there is no built in cup holder for those of us that enjoy a nice coffee on the go.
2. Deassembly – For the double pram, the deassembly does require disconnecting three different pieces (for the double pram). This was new for me as I had always been used to the one-click strollers to break down. However, I did get used to this process and it is completely fine with me now!
3. Price – It is a bit more pricey than other strollers. However, the quality is very high and this could save you a lot of money in the long run.
2. A good front / Back Carrier
We currently have two really great carriers for our kids. One of them is from macpac.co.nz and the other one is this carrier. We have used this particular carrier as a front pack from the newborn stage until my daughter was two. We mostly use it now as a front pack for our younger son, but we still use it for our 4-year old daughter on our backs! I also use this carrier a lot in the house when my son wants to be held and I need my hands to be free.
We love using our carriers for the kids. It’s a great way to bond, exercise and the kids don’t mind being carried around either!
3. kids water bottles
The best part about our MacPac carrier is that it has so much storage room. This is of course so handy when it comes to going on hikes or walks with kids, especially in the case of carrying water. Our kids do really well with these water bottles. I swear our toddler is always chucking his on the tile floor and it has not broken yet!
Conclusion
I hope you and your family enjoy these 10 family-friendly walks in Auckland as much as much as me and my family do. Remember to bring along lots of sunscreen, water, snacks, sun hats, and of course various layers of clothing for that ever-changing Auckland weather!