Sunday the 19th February 2012 at 8am is the start of the 2012 Sport Waitakere “Walk It Series“.
Walks in Auckland has contributed 5 walks to this series -
6pm Thursday 1st March from ANZ Henderson
6pm Wednesday 28th March from National Bank Blockhouse Bay
6pm Tuesday 1st May from National Bank New Lynn
6pm Tuesday 29th May from National Bank Glen Eden
6pm Tuesday 26th June from ANZ Westgate
Join in and discover walks in your own back yard! It is FREE! See below for more details.
Posted in Walk It West Auckland series
Tagged 6pm, Anz, Auckland, Back Yard, Blockhouse Bay, Community House, Glen Eden, Henderson Branch, National Bank, Sport
It has been a challenge to find an interesting walk from Westgate Shopping Centre that meets our criteria – this one is not one of the best, but it does have a small amount of bush and a few ponds to break up the monotony of new residential and the big box shopping area. Dogs on-leash.
It seems short sighted that no provision has been made for pedestrians/cyclists to cross the Northwestern Motorway via a tunnel or bridge, to and from the West Harbour side. Otherwise a walk to Moire Park would be achievable, and the residents of Massey and West Harbour would have easy access to the shopping area.
This short loop walk begins from the cafe (Robert Harris and Sierra) area, and leads down to the newly formed ponds. We followed our noses and was surprised to find that we had walked as far as Royal Reserve.
One gem on this walk is the view towards the city skyline – an unexpected bonus.
Download this walk for FREE here.
Posted in Walk It West Auckland series
Tagged Bridge, Bush, City Skyline, Cyclists, Dogs, Download Free, Easy Access, Gem, Massey, Monotony, Motorway, Noses, Pedestrians, Ponds, Provision, Robert Harris, Shopping Area, Shopping Centre, Sierra Area, Unexpected Bonus
The Avondale Whau River walkway from New Lynn, was a new discovery yesterday. The Whau River is almost full of mangroves but it does have a boardwalk going across thanks to Dawn Persson’s commitment to the Avondale Community.
This is a dog friendly walk with an off-leash area.
You may like to pack a picnic or take advantage of the nearby New Lynn Cafes.
Find this and other West Auckland walks at the Walks Store
The Henderson Opanuku Stream walk comes under Project Twin Streams. A great deal of progress has been made. It is a very pleasant short bush walk among the native trees – two giant kauris and many macrocarpas, and the sound of birds. 
This is a dog friendly walk with an off-leash area.
More work needs to be done on making sign posting clear to encourage more people to get out and discover what a beautiful area it is. The area would also benefit from BBQ areas and children’s playgrounds to encourage more families to enjoy the outdoors.
This is another walk that you can get to by rail and make it a day outing as Henderson Railway Station is close by. You may like to pack a picnic or take advantage of the Henderson Cafes.
Find this and other West Auckland walks at the Walks Store
When I first came to live in New Zealand, I lived in Glen Eden. I had never visited Waikumete Cemetery until today. What an amazingly beautiful and fascinating place.
The Waikumete Cemetery takes up a huge area between Great North and West Coast Roads, with beautiful landscaping and fabulous trees. And there is so much history here – from the 1918 flu epidemic and the Gallipoli soldiers to the mausoleums of the wine magnates of Corbans and Nobilo. It is really worth visiting. Dogs on-leash.
You may decide to arrive by train to Glen Eden railway station and make this a day outing.
The ‘Pumped Cafe‘ at the station has good coffee and food or there is a new Columbus cafe on the corner of Oates Road/West Coast Road.
Find this and other West Auckland walks at the Walks Store
Posted in Walk It West Auckland series, Walks in Auckland West
Tagged 1918, Beautiful, Bowers, Cafe On The Corner, Coast Roads, Coffee, Dogs, Flu, Flu Epidemic, Gallipoli, Glen Eden, Landscaping Trees, Magnates, Mausoleums, New Zealand, North Coast, Railway Station, Train Station, Waikumete Cemetery, West Auckland, West Coast Road, Wine
Have you ever wondered what a “Block House” is? Well, today I found out.
The last Saturday of the month is Market Day in Blockhouse Bay’s main street. At the street stalls you can buy fresh fruit and veggies, fish, delicious breads, plants, sweets, dog food and more.
On Market Days (and each Tuesday) the Blockhouse Bay Historical Society opens the doors of Armanasco House (on the Village Green next to the library). Today I met Keith who explained to me that the old block house was a military building that was built so that it could withstand (or ‘block’) musket ball penetration. There were several block houses that were built in Auckland to protect the city from invasion during the Maori Wars.
The block house of Blockhouse Bay no longer exists, but the Society has a collection of photos and memorabilia, plus members have many fascinating stories.
This Blockhouse Bay circuit walk begins at the National Bank, winds through the newly renamed Gittos Domain (it was called Avondale South Domain) to Flounder Bay. It is an undulating short bush walk with steep paths and steps to test our fitness levels. There are many bench seats along the way. It is very peaceful with just the sound of birds. Many of the native trees have been sign-posted. At low-tide it is possible to walk along the edge of the Bays.
This is a dog friendly walk with an off-leash area.
Find this and other West Auckland walks at the Walks Store
Suggested Cafes: Barefoot in the Bay and Icoco.
Posted in Auckland Nature Bush Walks, Walk It West Auckland series, Walks in Auckland West
Tagged Auckland, Avondale, Bays, Bench Seats, Blockhouse Bay, Bush Walk, Delicious Breads, Dog Food, dog off-leash area, Fitness Levels, Fresh Fruit, Fruit And Veggies, Icoco, Invasion, Last Saturday, Leash Area, Low Tide, Maori Wars, Musket Ball, National Bank, Native Trees, Penetration, Sound Of Birds, Steep Paths, Street Stalls, Sweets, West Auckland
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