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Activities

101 things to do in your regional parks

 

 

The Auckland region has more than 40,000 hectares of parkland waiting for you to explore!

From an afternoon relaxing by a remote beach to an action-packed weekend in the bush, here are 101 fun and affordable ideas to get you started

  1. Read a book and relax in the bach at Awhitu Regional Park
  2. Pick up an orienteering map from the noticeboard at Duder Regional Park and make your way around 148 hectares of coastal parkland
  3. Lie on your back and watch the clouds roll by at Waharau Regional Park
  4. Get your walking shoes on, and trek to Anawhata, a remote and spectacular beach in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park which can only be accessed by foot
  5. Play tiggy with the kids at Long Bay Regional Park
  6. Grab your favourite takeaway after work and enjoy it the Auckland Botanic Gardens - a great way to unwind at the end of the day
  7. Go floundering on the Poukaraka Flats at Whakanewha Regional Park
  8. Trek to isolated Tawhitokino beach - accessible only by foot at low tide - and discover one of Auckland's best kept secret beaches
  9. Explore Atiu Creek, Auckland's newest regional park and working farm at Tapora
  10. Test your speed and fitness by training on the athletics track at Mt Smart Stadium
  11. Pack up the surfboard and head to Tawharanui Regional Park
  12. Enjoy the spectacular view of Tiritiri Matangi Island from the TiriTiri Track at Shakespear Regional Park
  13. Volunteer in the Hunua Ranges and help establish a predator free zone at Hunua Falls
  14. After a walk around the Auckland Botanic Gardens on warm summers afternoon, relax with a glass of wine outside Café Miko
  15. Get your heart pumping with a vigorous walk across Duder Regional Park
  16. Pack a picnic and head south to the tranquil bays at Awhitu Regional Park on the south west shores of the Manukau Harbour
  17. Visit historic Whatipu Lodge, built in 1867, the lodge is still popular retreat for groups and families
  18. Watch a cow being milked and feed the lambs at Ambury Regional Park
  19. Walk the track from the Whatipu car park to the Whatipu Caves, which include a large cave where dance parties were held in the 1920s
  20. Book a getaway for a group of mates at Huia Lodge on the west coast of Auckland
  21. Launch your boat into the Manukau Harbour from Cornwallis
  22. Take a walk to the point at Scandrett Regional Park and have a snooze under the shade of a tree
  23. For a celebration with a difference, hold your wedding reception in The Club Lounge at Mt Smart Stadium
  24. Pack up your mountain bike and head for the bike tracks in the beautiful Hunua Ranges
  25. Fly a kite at Awhitu Regional Park
  26. Get active and make new friends by starting a pram walking group for a stroll around Auckland's beautiful regional parks
  27. Get on your hands and knees and go on an ugly bug safari in a farm paddock at Atiu Creek Regional Park
  28. Join the volunteer group at Ambury Regional Park and help look after the animals
  29. Book a BBQ site at Wenderholm Regional Park and spend the afternoon swimming, fishing or playing cricket on the flat open spaces
  30. Go surfing at Karekare Beach - made famous by the Oscar-winning movie ‘The Piano'
  31. Ride your mountain bike along the Whakatawhi Ridge Route at Waharau Regional Park
  32. Park your campervan overnight at Shakespear Regional Park on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula
  33. Book a corporate suite at Mt Smart Stadium for your next meeting or work function
  34. Hike to a back country campsite in the Hunua Ranges Regional Park
  35. Get your gumboots on and take part in a regional park planting day
  36. Get inspiration for your home garden at the Auckland Botanic Gardens
  37. Check out the big macrocarpa tree by Brook Homestead at Awhitu Regional Park
  38. Head to Ambury Regional Park in spring to meet the new lambs.
  39. Book a weekend escape in the beachfront bach at Wenderholm Regional Park
  40. Follow the Montana Heritage Trail to the largest remaining stand of mature kauri in the Auckland region
  41. Do some Tai Chi at Shakespear Regional Park
  42. For a fun family outing, watch a Warriors home game at Mt Smart Stadium
  43. Follow one of the walking tracks in the Hunua Ranges and listen out for the haunting call of a kokako
  44. Ask a ranger where their favourite spot is in the park.
  45. Say "I do" in the Perennial Garden at the Auckland Botanic Gardens.
  46. Bring your binoculars and watch the birds from the birdhide at Ambury Regional Park
  47. Play frisbee at Wenderholm Regional Park
  48. Ride your horse along iconic Muriwai Beach
  49. Hold your wedding ceremony at Tapapakanga, on the pohutukawa-fringed coast just south of Orere Point
  50. Pitch a tent at Omana Regional Park's Cliff Top campsite
  51. Drink tea with the rangers at the Hunua Ranges Ranger Station - be sure to bring scones or pikelets!
  52. Send the kids on a super-spy adventure around the Agent Ani Trail at the Auckland Botanic Gardens
  53. Try to spot a fernbird at Awhitu Regional Park
  54. Take the kids swimming at the beach at Waharau Regional Park
  55. Explore the historic pa above Whakanewha Beach on Waiheke Island
  56. Visit the spectacular Takapu Refuge at Otakamiro Point where gannet chicks hatch each November
  57. Learn about the rich history of the Waitakere Ranges at the Arataki Visitors Centre
  58. Bring a BBQ and the family and organise a game of beach cricket at low tide at Tapapakanga Regional Park
  59. Go on a sea shore safari on the rocky platform at Omana Regional Park
  60. Relax at the sandy swimming beach and picnic sites at Long Bay Regional Park
  61. Stay overnight in a southern regional park and watch the full moon rise over the Coromandel Peninsula
  62. Head for the Auckland Botanic Gardens with a blanket, a picnic and a good book - there are plenty of trees to sit under.
  63. Walk the Nikau Track at Whakanewha Regional Park
  64. Walk the Lion Rock track at popular black sand beach Piha
  65. Start at the Arataki Visitors Centre and discover 240km of tramping tracks in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park
  66. Take the kids pipi digging at Tapapakanga Regional Park
  67. Visit the goats on the perimeter walk at Omana Regional Park
  68. Take a walk through Hamlins Hill - Mutukaroa, a pocket of peaceful farmland in the middle of metropolitan Auckland
  69. To truly escape the city, get to Duder Regional Park - an isolated and peaceful coastal farm park
  70. Walk on lava along the foreshore at Ambury Regional Park
  71. Photograph the sun setting over Rangitoto from Whakanewha Regional Park
  72. Go for a run along Piha Beach
  73. Get back to basics at the Pae O Te Rangi Campground, a working farm in the Cascades accessible only by foot.
  74. Hire a self contained campervan and stay on the beachfront at Tapapakanga Regional Park
  75. Have a company picnic at Omana Regional Park
  76. Visit the historic Scott Homestead - Scott Point, Mahurangi Regional Park
  77. Count the number of cars on the motorway from Hamlins Hill - Mutukaroa
  78. Get up early on a Sunday morning and go for a big long walk around the Auckland Botanic Gardens, followed by a scrummy cooked breakfast and coffee in Café Miko
  79. Celebrate a birthday at Ambury Regional Park. You can even book the kitchen facilities
  80. Catch a ferry across to Waiheke Island and have a BBQ on the foreshore at Whakanewha Regional Park
  81. Take a walk through ancient forests and along picturesque streams in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park
  82. Dip your toes in the cool stream at Cascade Kauri, in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park
  83. Learn how we conserve and protect our native plants and animals at the open sanctuary at Tawharanui Regional Park
  84. Do your bit for the environment by helping a ranger collect seeds from threatened plant species
  85. Stay overnight in a 1950s waterfront bach on Scandrett Regional Park
  86. Pitch a tent at Sullivan's Bay campsite, Mahurangi Regional Park
  87. Walk the Suspension Bridge Loop through the forest to a spectacular platform above the Wairoa Reservoir in the Hunua Ranges Regional Park
  88. Get a horse riding permit from the ARC and enjoy a relaxing ride over Duder Regional Park
  89. Try your hand at sketching or painting your favourite scene or plant
  90. Come to Ambury Farm Day - a free family day out every October
  91. Marvel at the dotterel sculpture at Whakanewha Regional Park
  92. Learn about sustainable farming on the Sustainable Farming Trail at Duder Regional Park
  93. Take the kids fishing off Cornwallis wharf
  94. Escape to the wild west coast at Whatipu
  95. Go diving in the marine park at Tawharanui Regional Park
  96. Learn about the early days of farming in the restored farm buildings at Scandrett Regional Park
  97. Have an evening swim in the phosphorecents at Mahurangi Regional Park
  98. Plan an adventurous group weekend in the Hunua Ranges Regional Park, staying overnight at Kokako Lodge, at the scenic Hunua Falls
  99. Take your kids or grandkids to the Potter Children's Garden at the Auckland Botanic Gardens
  100. Count the different types of wader bird's footprints in the mudflats at Ambury Regional Park
  101. Spread the word about Auckland's regional parks and take a friend to a park they've not yet visited