Harbourview

I stumbled across this great wee spot last time I was out West. Located off Te Atatu Road, Harborview is a park that boasts the most spectacular view of Auckland City.
Despite growing up and living in Auckland, I’d never seen a view of the city like this.
You could see everything from the North Shore and the Harbour Bridge, to the Skytower and high-​rises and all the way out to Mt Albert, Point Chevalier and Blockhouse Bay. Unfortunately at the time I was there it was raining, but on a clear sunny day I can only imagine how much better the view would be.
Despite the bad weather, when I was last there a wedding was taking place, and I couldn’t help but appreciate how great the location was for such a special occasion. There is a little decked area that the ceremony was being held on, and while facing the bride and groom, the guests could also appreciate the brilliant view of the city. Definitely a good place to keep in mind if you’re planning your big day and you’re Auckland locals!
Harbourview would also be a lovely place to park up and enjoy a picnic and run around with the kids.

My wife and I vowed to get fit this summer and take up hiking in the Waitakeres. That didn’t quite happen as we planned so we came over to the walkway in Te Atatu Penisula for a workout on the weekends. It’s a charming little walk and the path is made of wood so it’s unlikely you would lose your footing or anything. Probably the best thing about it is that nobody really knows about it but the locals. They come and walk their dogs or are trying to get fit like us. There’s no shops over here so you might want to stock up on water in peninsula. We often get a sandwich in the nearby Subway, go for our walk and eat it on the way as there are plenty of spots to sit down. Often when I am looking at out the water, I think of my busy life in London and realise that I am a long way from that life now.

The good the about the peninsula is that it’s not that busy. Because you don’t come through Te Atatu Peninsula to get to somewhere else (because there is nothing else), most people hanging around the peninsula are the people who live here. If you go all the way the to the end of the peninsula, you arrive at the Harbourview walk, which is a 20 minute walk around the end of the beach that looks over the harbour towards the city. There’s a big reserve, and it’s a great place to take the kids or to walk the dogs. If you come at night, it’s called 123 to those in the know, because there’s a set of lives right across the other side of the harbour that look like a one, a two and a three. It’s really pretty and because it’s not extremely well known, most of the people will be friendly Te Atatu locals.