Sun's out, bikes out. Cycling is a great way to get out and make the most of Tāmaki Makaurau this summer. There’s heaps of biking tracks in our parks across the region – many which are just down the road.
Here are some of our top picks:
Grey Lynn Park
Grab the kids and get biking on the asphalt pump track at Grey Lynn Park. You can ride this bicycle track with minimal pedalling and it includes twists, turns and jumps perfect for BMX bikes, mountain bikes, skateboards and scooters. Alternatively, try exploring the neighbourhood, with either the Grey Lynn Greenway Path or the longer Grey Lynn to Point Erin Path. Both start at Grey Lynn Park and head out to Cox’s Bay Reserve, with the second continuing on through peaceful streets of Herne Bay on the way to Point Erin.
Beachlands-Maraetai walkway
The 6km Beachlands to Maraetai Path winds along Auckland’s southeast coast. It offers views of the Hauraki Gulf, Waiheke Island and the Coromandel Peninsula.
There are two playgrounds along the way and Ōmana Regional Park is a great place for a pit stop. Other highlights include the beautiful east coast beaches of Maraetai, Te Pene and Ōmana Esplanade Reserve.
The path is wheelchair accessible and suitable for prams but there are unsealed sections in some parts.
Project Twin Streams
Bike your way around the award-winning network of walk/cycleways along the Henderson, Oratia, and Ōpanuku streams. While you’re at it, check out the community art installations, information panels and sustainable products used along the way. Combining the Oratia or Ōpanuku paths with Henderson Creek Path will take you from the foothills of the Waitākere Ranges down to the upper reaches of the Waitematā Harbour.
Māngere Bridge coastal paths
History, major conservation initiatives and wildlife come together in a series of paths that wander alongside the Manukau Harbour coastline between Onehunga and the Ōtuataua Stonefields. Start at Onehunga’s Waikaraka Park and take the Ambury to Waikaraka Path, heading under the motorway bridge along the way and enjoy a relaxing ride around the coastline of Māngere Bridge before finishing at Ambury Regional Park.
For an extended ride, take the Māngere Foreshore Path (and the Māngere Lagoon Loop to add an extra two kilometres) – an unsealed track that wanders south along the Māngere Ihumatao foreshore. This is an area rich in history and natural beauty, stretching 7km from Ambury to the Ōtuataua Stonefields. The path in front of the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant is closed but an alternative path is signposted that takes you along part of the Greenwood Road Park Path before returning to the Foreshore Path and continuing to Ōtuataua Stonefields. If you do both paths return it will be roughly a 30km ride.
The Pakuranga Rotary walkway
This shared and sealed path runs around the edge of the Tāmaki Estuary and Whakaaranga Creek. Highlights of the Pakuranga Rotary Walkway include extensive views up and down the Tāmaki River, layers of ash, peat and ignimbrite, wetland areas and features of historical and cultural significance.
Start opposite the Ōhuiarangi/Pigeon Mountain car park. There are lots of picnic spots along the path, which is also home to the local favourite Snakes and Ladders playground.
Te Ara Tahuna Estuary
Wind 7.6km around the beautiful Ōrewa estuary. Te Ara Tahuna connects some of Ōrewa’s newest areas with Hibiscus Coast beaches, community facilities and the Ōrewa Township. The path offers a flat circuit for cycling, riding with children on scooters or pushing prams. Distance markers are placed at 1km intervals from Western Reserve.
