Weekend Walkabouts: Onehunga Bay Reserve & Judges Bay

Auckland, New Zealand

With Mac having to work most weekend nights, our options for getting out and exploring the area are somewhat limited. Luckily, we live very close to public transit, and we’re always willing to get in a great walk when we can. This past weekend we did a bit of both! On Saturday, we joined up with the last third of the Coast to Coast trail and walked all the way to Onehunga Bay Reserve (located on the southern side of the isthmus). To get there, we walked through one of my happy places: Cornwall Park. It was a gorgeous day, and the animals were happily roaming in the fields.

The walk took us almost 2 hours, and we got to the Bay during low tide, which unfortunately didn’t provide the prettiest views. We crossed the highway and were able to get close to the coast on Hillsborough Bay. I say ‘close’, because the park area right next to the shore was all fenced off! We learned that the park & facilities there are brand new and there’s an opening ceremony next weekend. We were too early!

On Sunday, we took the bus downtown and headed towards Judges Bay. This little inlet was a slice of paradise in the busy city. The hill beside the small body of water provided a great view of the area: a small ‘swimming hole’, right next to a busy highway, with the coast (a main shipping & ferry route) behind. You couldn’t tell all this hustle & bustle existed though, as the noise was limited and the stellar blue skies & warm, sunny day were perfect distractions. Unfortunately, the warmth did not extend to the swimming hole. I was only able to wade in up to my waist before my entire lower half became numb! Mac took the plunge and dove in, but it wasn’t long before he was joining me on shore to warm up!!!

From Judges Bay, we headed the short distance to check out the Parnell Baths. Apparently this is a historic site, but I’m not really sure why. Regardless, it was packed with people enjoying the beautiful day! We crossed yet another highway and were able to see the harbour front in its entirety.

We’re already brainstorming ideas for where to go next weekend!!