I have been writing a series of posts on walks using the new Shared Path system around the Waterview tunnel area that connects up different parks and green spaces. This post covers Volcanic Park to Volcano (Mt Roskill). Valonia Reserve, at the southern end of Alan Wood Park, has a volcanic-themed skate park that is designed to resemble a lava flow. It starts at its highest point in a ‘crater’ before running through a series of lava-coloured terraces and skateable features such as bowls, … [Read more...]
Oakley Creek Walkway (4): Origin
In previous posts I have traced the path of the Oakley Creek Walkway upstream through various parks and reserves along the new Shared Path system of cycleways/walkways. In this final part of my journey I follow Oakley Creek (the longest waterway in Auckland) from Mt Roskill War Memorial Park through to its (somewhat inauspicious) origins to a previously swampy park. From the War Memorial, Oakley Creek disappears into a culvert under May Road and continues along behind and under houses … [Read more...]
Oakley Creek Walkway (3): an ongoing upgrade
I had planned to continue my exploration of the Oakley Creek Walkway along the Shared Path system of cycleways/walkways that is connecting up Auckland's green spaces. I have previously written about the more established part of the Oakley Creek Walkway in Waterview and then its continued restoration through into Alan Wood Reserve. The next logical step was to follow its course upstream across Te Whitinga (the Crossing) into Kukuwai Park and then across Richardson Road to Underwood Park and … [Read more...]
Oakley Creek Walkway (2): Alan Wood Reserve
Having enjoyed visiting the original Oakley Creek Walkway, I continued to explore the next segment of Oakley Creek (Te Auaunga) in Alan Wood Reserve. This reserve has recently been renovated along with the opening of the Waterview Tunnel, with some renewed emphasis on the creek itself. The waterway has been cleared and defined in many places, and is a vast improvement on its previous condition. There are still areas where the banks are covered in weeds and the water is stagnant and filled with … [Read more...]
Sculpture in the Gardens 2018
Visiting the Sculpture in the Gardens at the Auckland Botanic Gardens is something that I always look forward to. It is held every two years and they are now celebrating a decade of sculpture. My mother and I now have a (biennial) tradition of going along to Sculpture in the Gardens in the Christmas/New Year holiday period, spending an hour and a half or so ambling around the gardens following the sculpture trail and stopping off at various places in the gardens that take our fancy along … [Read more...]
Oakley Creek Walkway (1)
This year I am enjoying a Staycation at home, making the most of my new outdoor living space. I am also exploring the Shared Paths (walkways/cycleways) that have been opened up with the new Waterview Tunnel. I love that these paths are connecting up our green spaces and making it so much easier to visit some of Auckland's hidden gems such as the Oakley Creek Walkway that has Auckland City's only natural waterfall (with a not-too-shabby 6m drop). I used to visit the Oakley Creek Walkway quite … [Read more...]