Macleans Park

I was pretty stoked to check out Macleans Park with my little Aussie terrier Tilly this weekend while the sun was beaming. Macleans Park runs parallel to the beautiful Eastern beach which is also dog off-​lead friendly. However, during daylight savings no dogs are allowed on the beach from 9AM-​7PM. We got there a little bit before 9 and were able to play fetch in the ocean for a wee bit before walking the park. Overall the park is quite large and there are some really beautiful views of Rangitoto and the Hauraki Gulf especially on a sunny day. There are sports fields, bush sections, and even some mountain biking tracks. Although there are very defined walking tracks they all seem to be a bit random and rarely seem to connect. Therefore, we ended up on quite a few dead ends or decoy paths and it didn’t feel continuous or cohesive. I kept feeling like I was lost or forced to choose to make a decision to go left or right without any maps or sign-​posting. If you know the park, you probably wouldn’t even notice this bugbear but it makes it feel like you are walking to nowhere and in random circles. Overall, Macleans park is nice but as someone who has so much choice out in West Auckland, the park doesn’t compare.

A dog friendly park along the coast of Eastern Beach, this place is smothered with hills, forested ways and big stretches of grass. You can walk on and off leash all the way down to the beach, then back up again. It’s a solid, long walk, taking 30 — 45 mins, depending on your route and walking speed. Be sure your dog is friendly to other dogs, as you will encounter many along the way.
I thought this place was good, but not very well signposted, as you can find yourself going around in a few circles. The path is very gravelly and dusty at the moment, which would probably be muddy after raining, so wear a good pair of walking shoes. Other than that, an enjoyable walk.