Parks are an incredible way to improve our well-being.
Stopping every day to appreciate nature makes us feel happier and healthier.
Research from Berkeley University shows this, concluding that daily interactions with nature increase life satisfaction.
Mark Bowater, Auckland Council’s Head of Parks Services agrees.
“A few minutes each day to smell a flower, listen to a tūī sing or watch the a tree wave its branches in the breeze is enough to improve our mental health”.
Here are 100 ideas to get you started:
- Go for a walk – AKL Paths is a great resource to find your local path
- Walk your dog (only in dog appropriate areas of course)
- Play on the playground
- Have a picnic
- Take your camera and become a nature photographer for a day
- Go for a run
- Go for a bike ride
- Enjoy one of the many free events in parks, such as movies in parks
- Enjoy a guided walk hosted by an Auckland Council community park ranger (events are listed on Our Auckland)
- Become a volunteer in your local park
- Go bird watching
- Go exploring for native wildlife like skinks or geckos
- Go for a swim at one of the great beaches part of our parks
- Fly a kite
- Have a BBQ
- Play hide and seek
- Go exploring with no agenda
- Identify some of our native trees
- Play with a ball
- Go for a nature treasure hunt (there are great resources online, such as doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/getting-involved/activities-with-children/treasure-hunt-chart.pdf)
- Watch a sunset
- Watch a sunrise
- Climb a tree
- Find a cicada shell
- Go on a date
- Have a team meeting
- Try yoga
- Do a cardio workout with some of the free exercise equipment in a park
- Explore a bush track
- Find and report pest plants
- Go sight-seeing
- Take a colourful selfie
- Eat fish and chips
- Try out a Disc Golf course
- Pest control in your local park (contact your local community park ranger to get involved by emailing mylocalpark@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz)
- Pick up rubbish
- Sunbathe safely
- Be creative and do some nature art
- Get married - find out more here aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks-recreation/Pages/weddings-civil-unions-parks.aspx
- Cool off with a water fight.
- Go camping - find a camping spot here aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks-recreation/stay-at-park/Pages/default.aspx
- Build a sandcastle at the beach
- Meet up with friends
- See farm animals – many of our Regional Parks are home to farm animals
- Read a book
- Watch the clouds
- Adopt-a-park with your class or school through our Community Programme Ranger programme
- Make new friends
- Look at sculpture and art in parks
- Go on a self-guided walk
- Celebrate a special occasion
- Have a go at a water sport such as surfing or kayaking
- Join and play in sports team
- Play a sports game with yourself or a friend, such as basketball or tennis.
- Sit and have your morning (or afternoon) coffee
- Escape the office to have your lunch
- Get inspiration and advice for you home garden from the Auckland Botanic Gardens
- Go skateboarding
- Go barefoot
- Learn something new
- Exercise your mind (practice mindfulness)
- Take a break from your device
- Construct a fort out of bush materials
- Go stargazing
- Learn and listen to bird calls
- Walk the coast to coast walk, which navigates through parks and paths
- Relax in a hammock
- Become your own David Attenborough for the day and film what you find in the park
- Feed the birds seeds and grains (bread is not good for the birds and can promote the growth of botulism bacteria)
- Look at the views from atop one of the maunga of Tāmaki Makaurau
- Take a nap
- Discover new places (e.g. a new playground or favourite park)
- Explore new environments (e.g. wetland or farm)
- Dance
- Listen to music
- Go fishing
- Plant in your local park – look out for volunteering opportunities
- Visit a market or festival held in one of our parks, such as the night noodle markets in Victoria Park
- Play catch/tag
- Geocaching
- Hide painted rocks to be found by others (BYO rocks/stones)
- Try something new like circus performing or pop up play with Out and About
- See glow worms on a night walk with Out & About
- Play board games
- Explore an Auckland council cemetery - yes they are also parks. A great one to visit is Waikumete
- Use it as a space to craft e.g. knitting
- Try an online/app-based game like Pokémon Go
- Join a group fitness session
- Listen to the birdsong of the morning chorus
- Learn about Auckland’s history and heritage
- Discover some amazing waterfalls hidden in our parks
- Explore Tāmaki Makaurau’s Māori heritage
- Roll down a grassy hill
- Stay in one of our baches or try glamping
- Try meditating in nature
- Check out some community art around our parks
- Cool down in the shade of the trees
- Give Astrophotography a go – we have some great dark sky areas in our regional parks
- Visit one of our open sanctuaries Shakespear or Tawharanui regional park
- Visit a community garden
Keep Kauri Standing
Wherever you end up, if you enter or leave a forest/area with native trees anywhere across the region, here are three easy steps you need to remember:
- Scrub– clean all soil off your footwear and gear.
- Spray– your footwear and gear with disinfectant at every cleaning station you encounter. Kauri dieback can be spread by just a pinhead of soil.
- Stay– on open tracks and off kauri roots.
Always check the Auckland Council kauri webpage before going for a walk to find out what tracks are currently closed.
