It's time to tread the boards! When rain clouds are on the horizon or a deluge has left puddles in your favourite park, there’s no need to let the weather stop you from enjoying the best of the region’s outdoor environments. Auckland has many great walking trails designed to adapt to our rainy climate, with beautiful boardwalks that allow you to explore the outdoors while keeping your shoes dry. Boardwalks also improve accessibility, allowing wheelchair and pram access to parts of our parks, meaning more Aucklanders can enjoy nature.
Boardwalks also protect our vulnerable environments to diseases such as kauri dieback.
One of the most beautiful things about Tāmaki Makaurau is the lush landscape created by our unique wet climate. These five boardwalks will help you explore these outdoor jewels, from sapphire blue coastlines to amber-coloured wetlands to emerald green kauri forests.
Walk among giants in Kauri Glen Reserve
Just 10km from Auckland’s city centre (or a 20-minute journey on public transport from the Sky Tower), you can leave the man-made skyscrapers behind and walk in the canopy of some precious tree giants. The new 60m-long treetop boardwalk and three-span glulam (laminated timber) bridge at Kauri Glen Reserve is 18m above the ground, allowing a birds-eye view of this pocket of the North Shore.
The reserve features mature kauri and tānekaha, including some trees that are between 300 and 400 years old. The canopy walk showcases these natural treasures and reduces the risk of spreading kauri dieback, a fungal disease affecting trees through their root systems.
There are also shoe cleaning stations at the walk entrances to combat kauri dieback.
Go birdwatching from the boardwalk at Āwhitu Regional Park
The protected wetlands and salt marshes at Āwhitu Regional Park in southwest Auckland are one of the region’s biodiversity treasures. The two wetland areas, which transition from freshwater to saltwater, are home to the largest population of mātātā (fernbird) within Manukau Harbour, as well as mioweka (banded rail), pūweto (spotless crake) and the camera shy and vulnerable matuku-hūrepo (Australasian bittern).
Enjoy this unique environment as part of the 45-minute Brook Homestead Walk, which also passes Kauritūtahi Beach and the historic Brook Homestead.
The boardwalk at Āwhitu Regional Park offers views of the wetlands and white sand beaches of Kauritūtahi Beach.
Explore a nature wonder tucked behind suburbia
If you want to hear birdsong right in the heart of the ‘burbs, try treading the boards on the Weona-Westmere Path. This 30-minute walk runs along the edge of Western Springs Creek estuary and meanders through magnificently tall mangroves as well as pōhutukawa-lined foreshore and a bush track with nīkau, kōwhai and cabbage trees.
The southern portion has a boardwalk which runs beside the Western Springs Creek through the mangroves. The southern section features a grand boardwalk, which is particularly impressive at high tide.
At high tide the Weona-Westmere Path makes you feel like you’re floating above the mangroves.
Escape to a blue lagoon at Ōrākei Basin Path
Another watery wonder in Tāmaki Makaurau is Ōrākei Basin, a tidal lagoon and extinct volcanic crater which is a hub for watersports such as waterskiing (check the flushing schedule). The Ōrākei Basin Path is a 45-minute walk around the basin with views of the city. The impressive boardwalk section snakes its way to the Meadowbank stream bridge, a great spot for a selfie.
When on the The Path of Land and Sea /Te Ara ki Uta ki Tai which is the boardwalk, always keep left and be aware that its is popular with cyclists.
A note on accessibility:
The path does feature some steep stairs, including the entrance near Lucerne Road behind the Auckland Water Ski Club. This may be a challenge to some less experienced walkers and is not accessible to wheelchairs.
The Ōrākei Basin Path is a 45-minute walk that features a magnificent boardwalk section.
Meander through the mangroves at Patuone Reserve Walkway
Explore the unique mangrove environment of Auckland’s North Shore on the newly improved $2.6 million Patuone Reserve Walkway. The project features an extensive boardwalk as well as concrete paths, and is an upgrade of a run-down existing path that had become unsafe. It also involved significant replanting of more than 1500 native trees and plants to support birds and other wildlife.
This gentle walk is a cycleway too, starting at Esmonde Road and following the edge of the estuary north to Auburn Reserve.
The Patuone Reserve Walkway on Auckland’s North Shore is part of a significant restoration project to protect native birds and wildlife.
