Tāmaki Makaurau is dotted with grassy, leafy spaces where people can connect with nature. In fact, there are more than 4000 parks across the region. Providing a small slice of green within our urban settings are the pocket parks.
No, you can’t scoop them up and put them in your pocket but these parks are great spots for eating your lunch, pushing a child on a swing or sitting for a while to watch the world go by. Put these destination ideas in your back pocket for your next mini outing.
St Marys Reserve, Ponsonby
If you’re after some local history, this leafy reserve is neighbours with the old Ponsonby fire station, built in 1902, and is just down the road from the iconic former Ponsonby post office. Settle on one of the park benches and enjoy the dappled shade from the trees, or head out on a walk or scoot with the little people in your life and reward them with a snack and swing once you get to the park.
Home Reserve, Grey Lynn
It may be small, but this cute reserve on the corner of Home Street and King Street offers oodles of fun for tamariki with its wooden tower and two slides. Young children will also enjoy hopping along the timber stumps and scaling a small climbing net, while older kids and adults can practise their slam dunks on the half basketball court.
Te Rerenga Ora Iti / Emily Place Reserve, Central City
If you’re in the central city and you want to escape the hustle and bustle, head to this pretty pocket park on Emily Place. It’s hard to imagine now, but Te Rerenga Ora Iti / Emily Place was the former Point Britomart, where the original shoreline used to be. However, the majestic ancient pōhutukawa here are a leafy clue of the site’s history.
Te Rerenga Ora Iti / Emily Place has a historic monument to Reverend J. F. Churton, the first vicar of St Paul’s Anglican Church.
Seddon Park, Pukekohe
This small rectangular reserve in the Pukekohe township holds significant ties to the battlefields of Italy in WWII. When Kiwi soldier Sam Allen was wounded in Sangro Valley during the war, he sheltered under a Judas tree and pocketed one of its seeds. When he returned from the war his mother planted the seed in a pot. Eventually the young tree was planted by Sam’s brother Dr William (Bill) Allen at his home and doctor’s practice near the corner of King and Seddon Streets.
The site of the house is now Seddon Park – and the Judas tree still grows there today. An information plaque tells about the tree’s history and there’s a seat where you can sit beside its gnarled branches or under its purple-pink blossom in mid-spring.
Balmoral Heights Reserve, Mt Eden
This green oasis tucked into the corner of the busy Mt Eden and Balmoral Roads intersection is also a butterfly sanctuary. Angela Moon Jones and her husband Rob teamed up with Forest & Bird and Auckland Council to create a garden that would attract native butterfly species such as red admiral, yellow admiral, copper and long-tailed blue butterflies. Make sure you flutter by sometime to see them in action.
Balmoral Reserve is a sanctuary for native butterflies. If you’re lucky you might spot the native copper butterfly there.
Arthur Faulkner Reserve, Mt Roskill
This charming park in Mt Roskill lies at the end of Foch and Hazel Avenues. As well as having a glorious playground with swings, it has lots of trees to picnic under and a concrete table tennis table. There are also tennis courts that are open to the public, which are great for having a casual game with friends or, if no one’s playing tennis, a safe place to teach kids to ride bikes.
Woodside Reserve, Massey
Although you could technically say it’s larger than a pocket park, this long skinny reserve is a tranquil spot alongside Momutu Stream. The grassy field is great for kicking a ball, or go for a wander with your family and friends to the far end of the reserve and check out what’s growing in productive Woodside Community Garden.
