Long Bay Regional Park (Te Oneroa ō Kahu)
Kids & familyBeach Road, Long Bay, Auckland 0792
Clifftop walking trails plus swimming & kite flying in a beach park with BBQ & picnic sites.
Spending our whole lives in Tāmaki Makaurau,we've come to appreciate the great parks in our beautiful city, and wanted to share our knowledge and general information to help others: whether the playground is fenced, the parking is a mission, if there are toilets.. a general hub to help you find a good park.
Prams and access, scenery, toilets and water, parking, safety. These five decide whether a visit works, whoever you came with.
Playground, picnic and BBQ, and shade for family parks. Off-leash and walking tracks for dogs. Food and coffee nearby for a date. Nothing else counts.
The overall number averages whichever factors apply. Playground, prams and access, food and coffee nearby, and picnic and BBQ count half. They say more about how you’re visiting than about the park itself.
Every factor has a written 1, 3 and 5 to score against. A 1 on toilets and water means nothing on site. A 5 means an accessible one by the playground, and a fountain that works. So a number means the same thing in every park.
Nearly every park here has had its facilities read off a council or operator page, then dated and linked. The handful we haven’t got to yet say so on the page.
All eleven factors are written out at the full scale, inside How we rate a park.
It averages the factors that apply to that park: five shared ones, plus a few specific to whether it is a family, dog or scenic spot. Four of them count half as much as the rest, being playground, prams and access, food and coffee nearby, and picnic and BBQ. Those say more about how you are visiting than about the park itself.
That the facilities were read off a council or park-operator source on the date shown, and we linked what we used.
No. There is no sponsorship, no advertising and no paid placement anywhere on this guide. We try to maintain the integrity of this site as a hub for nature lovers.
Roughly once a week, when we sit down and review them. Most scores come from our own visits, though a few lean on online reviews or anecdotal opinion where we haven’t been ourselves. We try to stay as objective as we can.
Beach Road, Long Bay, Auckland 0792
Clifftop walking trails plus swimming & kite flying in a beach park with BBQ & picnic sites.
Pakuranga Heights, Auckland 2010
Sports hub with cricket pitches, a BMX park & a rugby club, plus swimming pools & a small museum.
13 Chartwell Avenue, Glenfield, Auckland 0629
Glenfield's main family park, with a big modern playground and plenty of flat grass.
Hibiscus Coast Highway, Orewa 0931
Three kilometres of flat, safe sand with a grass reserve running the whole length.
99 Motions Road, Western Springs, Auckland 1022
A spring fed lake with a flat loop around it, longfin eels under the bridges and pūkeko running the place.
Green Lane West, Epsom, Auckland 1051
This tranquil, grassy park with a cafe & creamery is popular with runners, bikers & picnickers.
670 Manukau Road, One Tree Hill, Auckland 1051
Landmark volcanic peak providing panoramic views, 2 parks, memorial statues & a graveside obelisk.
Manly Esplanade, Browns Bay, Auckland 0630
Wide beach for walks & swimming, with nearby eateries & an adjacent park for picnics.
63 Milford Road, Milford, Auckland 0620
A sheltered family beach at the mouth of the Wairau Creek, with the cliff walk to Takapuna at one end.
1507 Whangaparaoa Road, Army Bay, Auckland 0930
Bayside sanctuary with a boat ramp, 3 beaches & campgrounds, plus paddocks with farm animals.
164 Brightside Road, Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa 0932
The peninsula's main recreation park, with a pool complex and a sheltered beach below it.
90R Wairere Road, The Gardens, Auckland 2016
A big rural park of paddock and bush, with pools, a flying fox and mountain bike trails.
37 Schischka Road, Waiwera 0873
Leafy coastal area featuring facilities such as trails, a campground, a boat ramp & beaches.
Maraetai 2018
A wide safe beach with a wharf to jump off and a pub across the road.
14 Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay, Auckland 1062
The first beach on Tāmaki Drive: flat lawn, calm water and waka pulled up on the sand.
Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland 0600
New Lynn's main sports park, with a playground, a skate bowl and the Whau walkway off one corner.
2 Omana Beach Road, Maraetai 2571
Hilly park overlooking the gulf, with a beach, campground, farm animals & pa (Maori earthworks).
94 Shelly Beach Road, Westhaven, Auckland 1011
Terraced harbour lawns under the bridge, with a heated saltwater pool below them.
90 Sunnynook Road, Sunnynook, Auckland 0620
Local fields with a playground and the Wairau Creek path running alongside.
69-79 Endeavour Street, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland 0600
A small Manukau beach at the bottom of a bush reserve, with a jetty to jump off at high tide.
23 Granville Drive, Massey, Auckland 0614
Massey's big family park, with mountain bike trails and a playground that pulls in the whole northwest.
203-271 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
Popular public green space featuring a walking/jogging path, skate park, playground & sports fields.
5/7 Howe Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland 1011
Park (also called Tuna Mau) with trails, sports fields, tennis courts, a playground & picnic areas.
Corner of Maki Street and Kokano Road, Westgate, Auckland 0814
A stormwater pond turned into something worth visiting, with woven timber baskets holding the banks up.
2 Claude Brookes Drive, Henderson, Auckland 0612
One of the west's best playgrounds: flying foxes, real tree shade, and toilets that are actually looked after.
Ambury Road, Māngere Bridge, Auckland 2022
Camping & hiking are popular at this farm park with wildlife, pastured animals & lava flows.
163 Chapel Road, Flat Bush, Auckland 2016
A vast new park with a landmark playground tower and wetlands between the lawns.
15 Davies Avenue, Manukau City Centre, Auckland 2104
South Auckland's flagship playground, with a tower, giant slides, air swings and flying foxes.
Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0630
A compact sheltered bay with a grassy reserve, a surf club on the sand and cafes across the road.
75 Gordons Road, Waiheke Island, Auckland 1971
Woodsy recreation area by a beach on Rocky Bay, with multi-use trails, campsites & picnic spots.
2 Victoria Road, Devonport, Auckland 0624
The waterfront lawn at the Devonport ferry, with a pirate ship playground and a band rotunda.
109 Archibald Road, Kelston, Auckland 0602
Kelston's community park, with a playground and a bush filled stream gully behind it.
Pukekohe 2120
A shady bush reserve and playground on the edge of Pukekohe, with a stream running through.
Quadrant Road, Onehunga, Auckland 1061
Onehunga's civic park, with a colonial blockhouse, the local pools and a playground under old trees.
24 Tarahanga Street, Northcote, Auckland 0627
A dinosaur playground and a summer splash pad, sitting on the floor of a volcanic explosion crater.
31 Herdman Street, Waterview, Auckland 1026
Water play, a bike track for learners, a skate park and basketball, all in one park.
New Zealand, The Esplanade, Eastern Beach, Auckland 2014
A swimming beach lined with pōhutukawa, with a tidal pool and a big lawn behind it.
572-578 Blockhouse Bay Road, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland 0600
Sixteen hectares dropping down to the Whau, with a playground at the top and a boat ramp at the bottom.
Huia, Auckland 0604
A grassy foreshore reserve at the far end of the Manukau road, where the traffic runs out.
72A Hillsborough Road, Royal Oak, Auckland 1023
A heritage mansion, some enormous trees and a big rolling lawn to run down.
27 Summit Drive, Mount Albert, Auckland 1025
Sports fields and a playground round the bottom, a quiet cone and a wide western view at the top.
71-91 Beachcroft Avenue, Onehunga, Auckland 1061
A saltwater lagoon and a big playground, with a footbridge over the motorway to the foreshore beaches.
528 Point Chevalier Road, Point Chevalier, Auckland 1022
A sheltered beach that holds the afternoon sun, with a wide grassy reserve behind the sand.
173 Balmoral Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024
A summer splash pad on the Dominion Road corner, with tip buckets and fountains to run through.
Brook Road, Āwhitu 2684
A farm park on the Manukau with a swimming lagoon, a sheltered beach and sheep on the hills.
1 Buckley Avenue, Hobsonville, Auckland 0616
A new waterfront park on the old airbase, with a 4km coastal walk and a big fenced dog park at Bomb Point.
38b Killarney Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622
Lakeside lawns on Pupuke with a playground, deep shade and a great many opinionated ducks.
39 Neil Avenue, Te Atatū Peninsula, Auckland 0610
The peninsula's main green, with a playground and a link out to the walkway along the harbour edge.
Walters Road, Takanini, Auckland 2112
A huge community sports complex with an athletics track and a playground under real shade.
109 Mill Road, Helensville 0800
A country town domain on the Kaipara River flats, with room for everything.
Corner Beaumont Street and Jellicoe, Jellicoe Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
Public park incorporating parts of a former industrial site, with outdoor concerts, films & markets.
Cheltenham Road, Devonport, Auckland 0624
Shallow, sheltered and about as safe as an Auckland beach gets, with Rangitoto straight across the channel.
6/10 Shelly Beach Parade, Cockle Bay, Auckland 2014
A long shallow bay that goes out forever at low tide, and turns an afternoon into a shell hunt.
Granger Road, Cockle Bay, Auckland 2014
A calm village beach with a playground, safe shallow water and Rangitoto on the horizon.
253 Tamaki Drive, Kohimarama, Auckland 1071
Calmer, wider and less crowded than Mission Bay next door.
2 Ron Keat Drive, Papakura, Auckland 2110
Papakura's civic sports park, with an outdoor pool complex and a playground on the town side.
11 Central Road, Kingsland, Auckland 1021
A small Kingsland green with a good modern playground and a shaded lawn.
25A Fort Richard Road, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland 1062
Ōtāhuhu's main park, with a playground, big flat fields and the pools next door.
Cornwallis Road, Cornwallis, Auckland 0604
A calm, shallow Manukau bay with an old timber wharf and deep pōhutukawa shade.
20 Lonsdale Street, Ellerslie, Auckland 1051
The green heart of Ellerslie village, with a shaded playground and the outdoor pool open all summer.
72 Greys Avenue, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
Compact green space in the city centre featuring a colourful, modern playground & public artworks.
19 Salisbury Street, Herne Bay, Auckland 1011
A quiet strip of lawn on the Herne Bay cliff edge, with steps down to Sentinel Beach.
Waiuku 2123
A quiet riverside reserve at Waiuku, with a playground and a walkway following the water into town.
Titirangi Beach Road, Titirangi, Auckland 0604
A small shell beach under the bush, swimmable for a couple of hours either side of high tide.
Unnamed Road, Ranui, Auckland 0612
A village domain with the Waitākere foothills starting immediately behind it.
Albany, Auckland 0632
Landscaped lakes and fountains, two minutes from the Albany mall.
36 McInnes Road, Weymouth, Auckland 2103
A quiet stretch of Manukau shoreline with a grassy reserve, a playground and a boat ramp.