Auckland, New Zealand: Coast to Coast Walk

A pictureque way to walk from Auckland's Waitemata Harbour entirely across the isthmus to the Manukau Harbour; in effect the shortest route from one side of the country to the other!

The walk is something of a classic amongst urban walks in New Zealand having been established in the late-1970s or 1980s. While it remains well-known by Aucklanders for that reason it does somewhat suffer in places as a result of its age with faded signage in places and the walk needlessly ending on the wrong side of a more recently constructed motorway at its southern end.

However, those are small niggles and we should be grateful for those that plotted such a great way to see so much of Auckland's urban and natural fabric with comparatively little effort.

The walk can be started at either end: Downtown or in Onehunga. There are good public transport connections - train and bus - at both ends enabling the walker to return to the start, if they've left a car there, or anywhere else such as their home or hotel. I started downtown at the Viaduct Harbour signpost.

The Auckland Council website has a useful map or the route while the Auckland Transport website usefully links to an OpenStreetMap interactive map.

I knew the route (roughly) having walked it a couple of times over several decades but photographed the maps off the signboard as a guide. There are also signs and mapboards along the way (although sometimes hard to spot).

For those unfamiliar to Auckland the walk will have many highlights including magnificent views from various lookout points, a chance to see up close places of great natural, archeological, historic and cultural interest including (in order): Albert Park, the University of Auckland, the Domain and Auckland Museum, Auckland Grammar School, Mt Eden, Epsom, Cornwall Park, Jellicoe Park and the Manukau Harbour foreshore.

I walked the route on ANZAC Day passing by several commemorations including the large one in the Domain and one at the Auckland Grammar School.

The walks up Mt Eden and One Tree Hill were both made more pleasant by the relatively recent policy of excluding motor vehicles from the summits of the maunga. (Also the case on Mt Albert - see earlier Mountain to sea walk blog entry.)

For those interested in history there are historic buildings associated with Auckland's early history in Cornwall Park, with the Land Wars in Jellicoe Park in Onehunga, and with WWI in the Domain. In addition to Auckland Museum there is an historical display at the Cornwall Park HQ.

In relation to archeology there are Maori earthworks from early pa at both Mt Eden and One Tree Hill as well as detail displays at the museum.

Although the official maps of the walk would have you finishing at the Onehunga Bay reserve at the northern side of the motorway. That would be an absurd end to a 'coast-to-coast' walk as with just 5 minutes more walking one can cross over on one of two pedestrian bridges to reach the harbour and enjoy the delightful park and artificial beaches constructed as part of beautification of this part of the harbour.

Summary: 16 km, 4-6 hours walking. moderate walk (easy most of the way but more strenuous over the two mountains).

Walked: May 2019