Kauritutahi Beach at Awhitu Regional Park. Photo / Auckland Regional Council
Kauritutahi Beach at Awhitu Regional Park. Photo / Auckland Regional Council
If you need a distraction from Omicron, Auckland has plenty of uncrowded, well-ventilated places to explore within its boundaries. In this short series with a focus on extending the summer, Peter Dragicevich visits the best of Auckland's regional parks and outdoor attractions – starting in the south.
There are very few big cities in the world with the abundance of geography that Auckland has. Stretching from Te Hana to Bombay, the Supercity encompasses three enormous harbours, large tracts of rainforest, various lakes and lagoons, at least three geothermal areas, myriad islands and, at last count, 53 volcanoes.
Of the city's network of 28 official regional parks, only three are in South Auckland – but, given that it doesn't fit neatly anywhere else, let's kick off with the only one positioned on the Auckland isthmus itself, albeit right at its very southern edge. You may not have heard of Mutukaroa/Hamlin's Hill Regional Park but chances are you've driven past it numerous times. If you're heading north on the Southern Motorway it's that elevated slice of farmland to the left, just after the Sylvia Park turnoff.
The main entry is via an unassuming car park hidden amongst the scrappy building-supply depots, factory shops and used-car yards of Great South Rd. From here the 30-minute Hill Track heads through a small patch of regenerating bush before climbing gently to pasture at the crest of the hill. The views over Auckland are surprisingly expansive for a 65m summit, offering an interesting perspective of the shipping containers and light industry abutting Manukau Harbour.
Wrybills circling over the Manukau Harbour between Ambury Regional Park and Puketutu Island. Photo / Supplied
Mutukaroa was the site of the largest undefended hilltop settlement in Tāmaki Makaurau – which makes the complete absence of explanatory signage baffling, as Auckland Council is usually pretty good at that kind of thing. Between the 15th and the 17th centuries there was a large village here, complete with houses, fences and hāngī pits. Incidentally, this is one of the few substantial hills on the isthmus that isn't volcanic – unlike the smaller Ōtāhuhu/Mount Richmond, 1km to the south.
Much more impressive is Te Pane-o-Mataoho/Māngere Mountain which, at 106m, is considerably higher than both – and, conveniently, it's directly en route to our next regional park. Te Pane-o-Mataoho translates as "the head of Mataoho", the god associated with eruptions, and this maunga leaves no doubt about its explosive past with two distinctive craters, the largest of which has a lava dome at its centre. It's the fourth-highest and best-preserved of the city's volcanic pā sites, with plenty of terraces, pits and shell middens to discover.
Te Pane-o-Mataoho/ Māngere Mountain sits at 106m high. Photo / Peter Dragicevich
From the mountain's southern lip there are great views over one of Mataoho's other calling cards, Māngere Lagoon. This circular water-filled crater, with a scoria island at its centre, resulted from an explosion caused by cold water coming into contact with lava around 60,000 years ago. It's one of six similar southside sites collectively known as Ngā Tapuwae a Mataoho (The Sacred Footprints of Mataoho) – although being sacred didn't protect it from a 50-year tenure as the Māngere poo ponds.
Māngere Lagoon is one of six similar southside sites collectively known as Ngā Tapuwae a Mataoho. Photo / Peter Dragicevich
West of the mountain, at the tip of the peninsula, Ambury Regional Park is part of the ancient stonefields – remnants of large-scale Māori horticulture – which stretched out from the maunga towards Ihumatao. It's now the city's premier farm park, offering city kids the chance to get better acquainted with cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, turkeys and peacocks. Unlike Hamlin's Hill, there are excellent information displays in the main carpark, which is the starting point of three short themed walks: Family Farm, Foreshore and Lost Gardens, the latter of which leads to the remnants of ancient stone mounds.
People enjoy the animals at Ambury Park on the Manukau Harbour. Photo / Alex Burton
If gardens are your thing, the next regional park to the south should be top of your list. Established in 1982, the Auckland Botanic Gardens sprawl over 64 hectares abutting the Southern Motorway near Manurewa. The slick Huakaiwaka Visitor Centre near the entrance incorporates toilets, an art gallery and Cafe Miko (which has plenty of outdoor seating for the Covid-19 cautious). It's a sprawling site, so the free maps are invaluable. At this time of the year, the rose garden, perennials and salvias are still going strong, and there's the added attraction of the biennial Sculpture In The Gardens festival, which runs until April 3.
If it's a proper expedition you're after, put aside a day and head out to Āwhitu Regional Park. Located near the south head of Manukau Harbour, it takes around an hour and a half to drive here from the central city. The reward is a large still-operating farm with two beaches, regenerating bush, wetlands and salt meadows which can be explored on three marked walking tracks or via a 3km mountain-bike track. It's only the distant glimpse of the Sky Tower on the horizon that serves as a reminder that you're still within Auckland City limits.
If it's a proper expedition you're after, put aside a day and head out to Āwhitu Regional Park. Photo / Auckland Council
