Tag Archives: Onehunga

Walks for teens

If you have been out walking around Auckland with your family as you have been growing up, being set free to go walking on your own will seem natural.

However, now that you are a teenager, if you haven’t had the opportunity to get out and explore Auckland , then we may be able to help.

As teens you love your freedom, but your parents will still want to be aware of where you are. Many of our short walks start from bus stops or train stations. Our self-guide walking brochures include a map and easy to follow detailed directions, which will hopefully keep you on track.

You could head off to explore on your own, with your best mate or a group of friends – your choice. You will get the chance to learn/improve map reading skills, find out how reliable (or not) the Auckland public transport system is, visit parts of Auckland that are new and interesting, and experience how quickly (or slowly) a parent will collect you when you have spent your fare home money.

To start, we have a good choice of free walk self-guide brochures that you can download – just enter your name and email address to get an email which will give you instructions. Fill in details HERE .

Here are 10 teen friendly walk ideas to get you going:
1. Walk around the volcanic crater called the Orakei Basin
2. Choose from 5 walks around Newmarket
3. Walk to the Auckland Museum from Britomart
4. Walk to the Wynyard Quarter from Britomart
5. Explore the Whau River walk in New Lynn
6. Walk alongside the Opanuku Stream in Henderson
7. Explore the Waikumete Cemetery in Glen Eden
8. From Devonport head up Mt Victoria and /or North Head
9. Coast to Coast walk from Britomart (or read the route backwards and start from Onehunga)
10. Walk from Greenwoods Corner to Cornwall Park or Pah Homestead

For more ideas for things to do, read: Free range teenagers

And just in case you didn’t know, this article explains how walking benefits teens.  Have fun and get walking!

Coast to Coast Walk

This weekend we embarked on an alternative Auckland coast to coast walk – from Waitemata Harbour to Manukau Harbour.  Auckland City Council do have their own documented walk here.  However our alternate walk has less road, more parks, more bush, more direct, more variety, more views and more fun. It takes about 4 to 4 1/2 hours if there are no stops.

*** Currently, you can download our alternative Coast to Coast walk for free by entering your email and name in the box on the right. *** Alternatively click HERE for the free EGuide & Coast to Coast walk

walks in auckland coast to coast
View of Waitemata Harbour from Mt Hobson

The walk can be done in stages (so that at convenient points, if you need to return to the start we let you know where you can catch a bus or train) or you may wish to set a day aside to do the complete walk. It takes about four hours non-stop, but do allow yourself time to explore the side-trips (e.g. walk around Parnell, one of Auckland’s most interesting and historic suburbs) and have refreshments.

If you are looking for things to do in Auckland this is a great day outing. This alternative coast to coast walk starts off at the Ferry Building and ends at Onehunga (or you could start from Onehunga and time your arrival to be at Wynyard Quarter to watch the sun set over the Harbour from a bar or restaurant.) The walk is full of variety from kauri trees, to the Parnell shops and cafes, churches and cathedrals, views of the harbours, volcanoes and Waitekere Ranges and an art collection. It includes many playground areas for children which we hope is an incentive for them to do this walk. This walk in Auckland shows off the diversity of this wonderful city.

Watch the short video – Things to do in Auckland – Coast to Coast Walk

Walks in Auckland coast to coastAuckland residents may even be surprised to find places they were not aware of!

Vistors will discover Auckland’s back yard secrets and many cafes and shops – the ones that the bus tours miss.

You really don’t get to know a place until you have explored it by foot!

walks in Auckland coast to coastFor instance we discovered a new labyrinth in Parnell – something that I would not have recognized if I had not recently read “Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice”.

Suggested Cafes in Onehunga: The Library Cafe and Columbus

If you are keen on other coast to coast walks around the world – you may like to try the Walk from Cumbria to Yorkshire which spans 85 miles of quintessentially English landscape