Walmsley Park/Underwood Park

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Ah this is more like it. This area has a nice creek running through it (again, the product of a storm water drain, but we'll try to overlook that) and a number of nice willows on it's "banks". A nice meandering concrete path is provided and the fences are adorned with some lovely native (looking?) grasses. The area is flat and easy walking, as well as wide and open, meaning you are easily able to keep your dog within sight at all times, even when their ears are only intermittently functioning.

Across Beagle Ave is Underwood Park, continues initially with the creek and willows theme. Later on it opens up to an area slightly less appealing, only if I only got that feeling as there were some kids doing what appeared to be community service there, which may have bought down the wholesome factor a tad.

Only a few downsides to the area, not the most well off and therefore not the prettiest neighbourhood. In Walmsley, if you walk on the other side of the creek (the non pathed one) there is at least one tied up staffy with inadequate fencing backing on. There is a similar proerty on the Underwood section.

Didn't see any other dogs, but no reason to think it might not be popular at peak times. Would feel safe there in winter evenings, especially at the Walmsley end.

The creek continues along a green belt to take in Hendon park, Alan Wood Reserve and eventually (of course I didn't go this far), Albie Turner field and Oakley Creek Reserve. The path goes at least part way, and would be a nice walk, just remember to leash your dog in the appropriate areas. Check it out before the motorway swallows it up!

three stars***

Onehunga Bay Reserve

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This is one of our favourites. Onehunga Bay Reserve has a great wide open space for dogs to run around in, and, at high tide, a lagoon to swim in. At low tide it is an esturine mud flat full of stinky, black mud. If you dog is anything like mine they may take the oppourtunity to frolick in said mud, which is a pain to wash off but hilarious to watch.

Nikki learned to swim at Onehunga lagoon. We thought she just wasn't a water dog after failed attempts at Takapuna. Onehunga however has no waves of any description, and other dogs in the area provide the peer pressure factor in order for you dog to want to jump in - labradors and spaniels are perfect for this.

The area has been scarred by the widening of the South Western Motorway (SH20). Part of the part of the park has been eaten into, much to the dismay of The Onehunga Enhancement Society (TOES). Note the "our park, their motorway" signs. Currently, all that separates you and your pooch from the thunderous motorway is a temporary wire link fence. All this for the sake of a motorway that doesn't even make the cut to the Lifesaver Traffic Report.

This does not interfere too much with your (or your dog's) enjoyment of the reserve however. There is a nice loop track around the outside of the lagoon, and several small beaches on the eastern shore. This was Onehunga's beach before SH20 was built in the 70s and 80s. The beaches provide a great place to throw a stick or a ball and a lovely even surface with which to launch into the water.

Watch your dog around the culverts, especially when the tide is going out. Nikki managed to cut herself open on either the wall around the culverts or an oyster shell, we're not sure. Needed stitches and everything. Thank god for pet insurance!

Highly recommended. Four stars at high tide ****

The Big King

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On top of yet another volcanic cone, Big King reserve has got to be one of the most popular off leash spots in the area. Particularly at peak times, you will frequently see little "dog clubs" that form, with 15-20 people and their (sometimes multiple) dogs. Most of the people are pretty relaxed here and if your dog has a wee skirmish with theirs they won't make a big deal and let it play out on its own. Or they will laugh and think it is all great fun. I did see one dude take a swipe at my dog with his foot (when his little fluffball was harrassing Nikki and she finally retaliated and a chase ensued), but it wasn't obviously inentional, or spiteful enough for me to actually say anything to him.

This park has some steep bits so is not as leisurley a walk as some of the other spots on this blog, but it will mean for a tired dog after a couple throws of the stick. A few nice tracks to meander on and a lovely view of urban Auckland below, which is nice if you feel like a breather at the top!

Becuase its such a popular area there are multiple bins for poo bags and even a cage full of plastic bags to use so you can help yourself. This also serves as a kind of informal lost and found, where you might find a dropped rego tag or misplaced shoe.

Four stars ****

Meola Reef Reserve

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It took me a while to find the official name of this walkway, and I'm still not 100% sure I have it right. Anyway, this is a stretch of walkway between the Waikaraka Cemetery and the Southdown reserve on Hugo Johnston Drive, in the commercial heart of Onehunga.

The path is a shared cycleway and walking path, so is lovely and smooth - your dog can run alongside as you bike or Rollerblade (walking the dog Cesar style). At high tide there is opportunity for your dog to swim, again at low tide prepare for some more stinky mud frolicking. On the opposite side to the water is a commercial area and an inland port, a bit of a dump, and sometimes a bit noisy, but on the whole ignorable.

The path is quite long and monotonous to walk the whole way, I generally start at either the cemetery or the Miami parade end, and walk to the other, then back. This is a pleasant walk, though not very long, you might be able to stretch it out with a few throws of the ball and a swim. With a bike or Rollerblades you could happily do the whole path without getting bored. This walkway forms part of a longer cycleway that runs alongside the recently completed SH20 as far as Sandringham.

The Southdown end of the pathway is less smooth and more meandering, so not as open and pleasant. You basically end up at the railway yard and it has a kind of creepy feeling about it.

I give it three stars, another favourite at high tide. Would be great with a bike but haven't forked out for one yet!

***

Waikaraka Park Manukau Coastal Walkway

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It took me a while to find the official name of this walkway, and I'm still not 100% sure I have it right. Anyway, this is a stretch of walkway between the Waikaraka Cemetery and the Southdown reserve on Hugo Johnston Drive, in the commercial heart of Onehunga.

The path is a shared cycleway and walking path, so is lovely and smooth - your dog can run alongside as you bike or Rollerblade (walking the dog Cesar style). At high tide there is opportunity for your dog to swim, again at low tide prepare for some more stinky mud frolicking. On the opposite side to the water is a commercial area and an inland port, a bit of a dump, and sometimes a bit noisy, but on the whole ignorable.

The path is quite long and monotonous to walk the whole way, I generally start at either the cemetery or the Miami parade end, and walk to the other, then back. This is a pleasant walk, though not very long, you might be able to stretch it out with a few throws of the ball and a swim. With a bike or Rollerblades you could happily do the whole path without getting bored. This walkway forms part of a longer cycleway that runs alongside the recently completed SH20 as far as Sandringham.

The Southdown end of the pathway is less smooth and more meandering, so not as open and pleasant. You basically end up at the railway yard and it has a kind of creepy feeling about it.

I give it three stars, another favourite at high tide. Would be great with a bike but haven't forked out for one yet!

***

Arthur Richards Memorial Park

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Cute, kiwi park like you would have gone to as a kid. With corner dairy opposite and everything. This park seemed to think it was Autumn when we visited in September, there were leaves everywhere.

Nice enough park with a cute playground down the bottom, but honestly just a bit small for an off-leash exercise area, unless you have a Dachshund. Or both you and your dog are arthritic. It is on a slope with one path walking down to the bottom, and old (oaky?) trees everywhere. It is wide and open so maybe a good place to throw a few sticks or a ball, but if you're in the area, you might as well go to the Big King.

two stars **

Waiatarua Reserve

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Just a friendly reminder if you are going to use this park, PLEASE share space considerately. The interior is a protected wetland, home to a wide array of water bird species, so your dog must not enter the wetland area or go swimming in the water. I think it is remarkable that we are allowed to use this area for off-leash exercise at all, given the conservation value of wetlands, so I half expected it to have on leash status by the time I visited it a second time.

This park is quite a drive from our place, but is one of my absolute favourites. The wetland loop walk takes 60 minutes according to park signage but I think this might be a bit of an overestimation - unless, again, you have a Dachshund or something. You will meet some friendly dogs and considerate dog owners here (and some not so considerate ones and their obviously-just-been-swimming Labradors).

The view of the wetland area is very agreeable and the walk is an easy, relaxed one. Take in the biodiversity and general ambiance while your dog lopes around madly and probably eats a few rabbit poos. The path is suitable for cycling and jogging. There are a number of other walking areas besides the main wetlands loop, and lovely spots for viewing the wetlands up close, and tables for picnicking. You really could spend a whole afternoon here, justifying the crosstown drive you might just have to make.

Five stars *****

Waikowhai Park

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Waikowhai park is apparently the largest block of native bush left in Auckland City, and for this reason, again we are very fortunate to be allowed some off-leash space in the area. Signs at the entrance to the off-leash area warn of 1080 drops to control possum populations so keep to the paths and keep a close eye on your dog.

This park has a bit of everything, some bush, some beach, some open grass areas. Paths are a bit steeper especially in parts along the coast. The beach is not technically a part of the off-leash area, according to signage, so your dog should be on a leash depending on the time of day/year. Try read through schedules 1 -2 of Auckland City Bylaw 12 (Dog Control, 1999)and see if you don't come away VERY confused.

There are lovely views of the Manukau harbour, Mangere Mountain and Puketutu Island. Not many other people and dogs there. Paths are well kept and there are a number of doable walking routes.

Four stars ****

St Leonard's Beach, Takapuna

I will admit, I was initially reluctant to visit St Leonard's after a bit of a Google, as it is advertised on the internets as something of a nude beach. Don't get me wrong, I grew up on Waiheke Island, I am no prude, but the doggy habit of nose-meets-stranger's-crotch is embarrassing enough when said stranger is fully clothed. I also imagined the beach would have a closed in, creepy, perverted vibe.

I couldn't have been more wrong. St Leonard's is now one of my absolute favourite places to take Nikki, despite the 14km drive to get there! I love visiting Onehunga "beach" but I wouldn't swim there. St. Leonard's beach is a nice, clean sandy one, so it's one of the few places you can take your dog and enjoy a swim WITH them, and in the heat of the day too, as unlike neighboring Takapuna, dogs are allowed there all times of the day.

At low tide the beach is of a substantial size for running, playing, chasing a ball, stick or fellow doggy, but at high tide it's pretty much just somewhere to swim. Which is fine by me, and as long as I have a ball to throw, fine by Nikki. The dogs that come here are "shore" dogs, so usually a Golden Retriever puppy or a well behaved Border Collie. The people there are usually very nice and fully clothed.  In fact I haven't seen any nudity in my frequent visits over the summer. I did see wedding photos going on (I could just picture Nix running up and jumping excitedly all over that beautiful white dress) and a school trip from Takapuna grammar up on the cliff, but no creepy nudes. Not a one.

I am going to give this a rather high score, but keep in mind I am incredibly biased towards lovely beaches (as I said, I grew up on Waiheke). The only negative I could give it is the steep stairs in and out (I am so incredibly lazy) and the distance, which obviously doesn't apply to everyone. Four and a half stars, cus nobody's perfect. ****<


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Auckland Botanic Gardens, Maunukau

The Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manukau is a lovely place to spend an afternoon with a dog or otherwise. If you do decide to take your pooch, enter the park from the back, at the Everglade Drive entrance. The northwestern area of the park is an off-leash area, which includes a big green swimmin' hole. Needless to say, this was the main focus of mine and Nikki's visit. It turns out, after checking the map on the Gardens website, that there was actually a lot more off leash area than we'd realised.

It may have just been the weather or the time of day, but we didn't see that many other people with dogs there, and most of those few kept their dogs on lead. If you hadn't checked the website map first, it's not entirely obvious where the off leash part begins and ends - I only unleashed Nikki when I saw that others were doing the same. Admittedly I did see one sign when I was approaching the edge of the offleash zone (I found it while walking out to the only bin for miles).

From the map and the satellite images on Google maps, it appears that we missed what looks like an empty field and an enormous sandpit? I'm not really one for plain wide open spaces to run my dog in, I find them boring, but this may work well for people who like to throw frisbees for their dogs or for dogs who actually play fetch on dry land (mine doesn't).

We were in a bit of a hurry, but this area may prove to be one of those nice combination walk settings, you can walk on lead with your dog admiring the... botanics, and then you can let them go nuts off leash at the end for a bit. Or you can tucker them out first off leash and watch them tiredly behave impeccably on lead  afterward.

I don't like to stereotype, but I would suggest the dogs of Manukau are a little more rough and ready than those of say, Mt Eden, or the shore.  I think Manukau is home to a lot more "SPCA specials", and on the whole I would suggest that these people are more relaxed about scuffles and suchlike as their dogs have varied backgrounds. If you are one of those people who really panics in a heated argument between dogs, I would suggest that you are more likely to have such an encounter here. But if, like me, you find that people are quick to judge your mixed breed dog, then you might feel quite at home.

I vainly spent most of my time videoing Nikki's awesome Tux Wonderdogs-stlye leaps into the pond after her ball. It always gets me humming "Fit as a fiddle, sharp as knife" for the rest of the day. Then I took some attractive photos of her posing on some steps. These follow.

Worst. Website. Ever.

(Actually, no, this is http://yvettesbridalformal.com/index.htm)

Hi there
I just wanted to make a few suggestions for the petsonthenet.co.nz website. I have used it a few times in the last couple of months and think it is a marvellous idea, and I know that the SPCA uses your site as its default website for advertising found animals or relocating lost ones.
I have to say though, as far as websites go, it is pretty atrocious. Your advanced search never seems be functioning, which can be extrememly frustrating as you are using this site to find a missing member of your family! It really is not good enough to say that it is just "Not Working". The only alternative is to use the keyword search and then scroll through a whole pile of ads which may or may not be from your area, or if you have used your area as a keyword, may not even be the species you have lost! Similarly you cannot seperate "lost" ads from "found" ones when you search this way. This is time wasted, and as you so point out on your list of tips, time is of the essence when searching for a lost pet. You sell advertising space on your website, use that money to pay someone fix the search function!

I also wanted to comment that your advertising is very strange. I'm not sure who comes up with your adverts, it may be nothing to do with you guys, but the ad for pet insurance at the top of the page has got to be the daftest ad I have ever seen on the internet. WHAT has a bowling ball knocking over pins got to do with pet insurance!? It doesn't even say anywhere on it that it is an ad for pet insurance, or indeed, the name of the company it is advertising. The person has actually click on the ad to find out what it is advertising, and only a limited number of people must do so, limiting the effectiveness of the ad. We are constantly told as web surfers not to click on untrustworthy links, and this ad seems like such a link! The graphics are hideous and it has to scroll in order to fit all the text in the box, it looks so gaudy and unprofessional. Again this advertising concept may have nothing to do with you guys, but it is at the top of the screen every time one loads up your site, and it makes the site look a bit cheap and therefore not entirely trustworthy. If I hadn't been told by the SPCA that they use your site to advertise then I would not have given it a second look. The rest of the website is similarly cheap looking in it's design and the font makes it look like one of those fake, formulaic search engine websites that pop up when you type your url wrong. see example. http://trademe.com/

I'm very sorry if all this comes across very unpleasant, I will continue to advertise lost/found animals on your site and recommend it to people who have lost or found animals, but it is such a shame to see such a brilliant idea fall down on a few basic things such as website maintenance and design.