UPDATE – 22 February 2023
Closures affecting six regional parks across Tāmaki Makaurau have been extended until at least Wednesday 1 March 2023, due to safety and access restrictions
The areas affected by these closure extensions are as follows:
- Waitākere Ranges – parts of the regional park around Piha, Karekare, Te Henga / Bethells and Whatipū
- Muriwai Regional Park
- Tāwharanui Regional Park
- Ātiu Creek Regional Park
- Te Rau Pūriri Regional Park
- Hunua Ranges – the western side of the regional park including Hunua Falls
Tracks are still being assessed and while the southern part of the park (including Cornwallis and Huia) is more accessible, Aucklanders are being asked to be patient while we continue to check the tracks network.
Please report any damage you come across via the Auckland Council report a problem page.
UPDATE – 20 February 2023
Te Rau Pūriri Regional Park on the Kaipara Harbour’s South Head peninsula is closed. This takes the total number of regional parks with closures to six.
These regional parks are:
- Ātiu Creek Regional Park
- Hunua Regional Park (western side including Hunua Falls)
- Muriwai Regional Park
- Tāwharanui Regional Park
- Te Rau Pūriri Regional Parks
- Waitākere Ranges Regional Park
The other 22 regional parks are open, but visitors are advised to exercise caution, particularly with some trees still unstable and some areas still moving and at risk of slips.
All six regional parks will be reassessed on Wednesday this week and a decision around re-openings will be made then.
Unstable trees
Arborists are busy across the region, responding to thousands of tree-related and clean-up callouts. The work they do has been prioritised by urgency, but with so much work to do around the region, it will take some time to get to all requests so please be patient and aware around trees.
Some sites will be made safe initially and a complete clean-up will follow later. This will allow the arborist teams to focus on the more urgent work.
Please be mindful of your surroundings and be aware that fallen trees may be unstable and there may be broken branches still hanging. Soil saturation has impacted tree roots so there is also a risk of tree instability.
Please report any damage you come across via the Auckland Council report a problem page.
Telephone Road, Birkenhead
UPDATE - 17 February 2023
Auckland Council’s regional parks have been hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle, resulting in the closure of some assets including some of our regional parks much loved by Aucklanders.
Regional parks closed
As was announced by Auckland Emergency Management, five regional parks across the region are closed and will remain closed until the middle of next week. They will be reassessed then.
These regional parks are as follows:
- Ātiu Creek Regional Park
- Hunua Regional Park
- Muriwai Regional Park
- Tāwharanui Regional Park
- Waitākere Ranges Regional Park
The other 23 regional parks are open, but visitors are advised to exercise caution, particularly around trees. Despite the improved weather, there may be unstable trees that can still fall unexpectedly. Broken and hanging limbs and branches can also fall off even in a slight breeze so please take care. The ground is overly saturated, and the possibility of slips is still high.
Park rangers and staff are in the process of assessing damage and accessibility. Our track network is extensive, and the storm has caused widespread damage, so it will take some time to check. Also, there is still a possibility of some rain and with storm damage affecting some water courses, there could be potential for flash floods. Please hold off heading out on tracks in case they are not safe. Some tracks have been assessed and are now closed due to slips or dangerous trees, and we ask the public to respect all closures and not remove any barriers or signage.
Tree clean-up will take time
Arborists are working throughout the region to respond to hundreds of tree-related callouts, the large majority of which are deemed as critical. With so much work to do around the region, it will take some time to get around all requests so please be patient and cautious around trees.
Please stay away from beaches and coastlines. Some beaches like Ōrewa have seen beach erosion, while cliff faces like those at Long Bay Regional Park can give way without any notice. Some erosion has impacted tree roots so there is also a risk of unstable trees falling.
Please report any damage you come across via the Auckland Council report a problem page.
UPDATE - 15 February 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle has significantly impacted Tāmaki Makaurau, with considerable damage across the region.
Auckland Council encourages everyone to please use caution when visiting parks, especially around trees.
- Our staff and contractors are attempting to get around all the parks and facilities to check grounds and facilities. With over 4000 across the region and some currently inaccessible, this may take some time so please be patient.
- Despite the weather improving, trees can still fall unexpectedly. Limbs and branches can also fall off even in a slight breeze so please take care. The ground is overly saturated, and the possibility of slips is still high.
- Please stay away from beaches and coastlines. Some beaches like Ōrewa have seen beach erosion, while cliff faces can give way without any notice. Some erosion has impacted tree roots so there is a risk of trees falling.
- Please stay away from regional park tracks, especially the back country tracks in both the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park and Hunua Regional Park. Our track network is extensive, and the storm has caused widespread damage, so it will take some time to check. Also, there is still a possibility of some rain and with storm damage affecting some water courses, there could be potential for flash floods.
- We remind people to not swim or play in floodwaters. These floodwaters are unsafe for a few reasons:
- Flood waters may be contaminated with sewerage
- Flood waters capture a lot of debris so the risk of standing on something harmful or getting stuck in something you cannot see is too high
- Flood waters may be hiding things like exposed maintenance hole covers
- Arborists are working throughout the region to respond to hundreds of tree-related callouts, the large majority of which are deemed as critical. With so much work to do around the region, it will take some time to get around all requests so please be patient and cautious around trees.
- Please report any damage you come across via the Auckland Council report a problem page.
Sports fields
Most sports fields across the region are open however contractors may not have been able to mow or line mark. There has been flooding again in some fields and time is needed for the fields to drain. Allowing the fields time to recover will allow sport to be able to commence sooner.
We have also had reports of extensive damage to assets in some sports fields. This may take time to repair so please keep away from damaged facilities.
A fallen tree in Myers Park
