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!

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