Other things to do here are to visit the Auckland Zoo and MOTAT – Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology. And have a tram ride!
Quick facts about this walk
| Walk time: | approx. 90 minutes |
| Distance: | about 7 kms |
| Start: | Great North Road (Western Springs gardens) opposite Western Springs |
| Track Quality: | Mainly level paths plus steps. |
| Difficulty: | Suitable for most ages and levels of fitness and mobility, designed with flat shoes or running shoes in mind. |
| Buggies/Wheelchairs: | Not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. |
| Dog Friendly: | Off Leash area at Meola Reef |
| Highlights: | Waitemata Harbour views, a natural spring-fed lake with ducks, swans, geese and long-finned eels; stream, trams, planes. |
| Facilities: | Children's Playground, BBQ Area |
| FREE Map: | Download your FREE map of this walk |
The Hobbiton Movie Set Day Tour - From Auckland
Western Springs Park has a warm spot in my memories. My son loved coming here when he was little. He would ride his tricycle (and bicycle when he got bigger) around this man made lake. He had special places where he would have to stop to participate in the imaginative story he had going on in his head with characters from books we used to read.
Western Springs has a mostly level path suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and children’s scooters and trikes. There are ducks, geese, swans and eels to feed, so be sure to bring your bread scraps. And there is a fabulous playground with a BBQ area nearby. “Timespanners” view: War, water and birds at Western Springs
Meola Reef is Dog walk friendly with off-leash areas – dogs romp around in a big wide open area. This is a mostly flat walk, apart from one lot of steps in Jaggers Bush.
And when your dog gets tired, there is a seat to rest on…
There are two great places to enjoy your picnic – on the many picnic tables in Western Springs, or out at the point of Meloa Reef.
Unfortunately, there is not a cafe within walking distance. But there is a van that sells coffee in a paper cup and ice cream in a cone just by the entrance to Western Springs from the Zoo carpark and not far from the children’s playgrounds. (Weekends only, not July and August).
To see where one of the sources to Meola Creek begins, head to: Mt Albert and Meola Creek
