Coast to Coast@toptracks.info

Things to consider for this walk:
1. Transport to the start and from the finish. Consider taking your car to the finish and bus to the start, when you are tired, you could be glad you did. Or go with friends and leave a car at each end. But remember city parking can be expensive.

2. Money, for the bus and for any cafés you might want to frequent along the way. The bus ride I would expect would be around $5 each adult. From Onehunga take a Downtown service. If you take the Midtown one, you will have an extra walk at the other end!

3. What time to start? Getting under way after 9:30 in the summer will mean you are finishing in the heat of the afternoon. From Royal Oak to Onehunga there is less shelter and the heat can be exhausting.

4. Hydration. Carry water! Allow at least two litres each. We didn’t walk this on the hottest Auckland day, but that’s what we needed. That’s a lot of café drinks to buy if you don’t!

5. Toilets. All parks have at least one that will be open, except Mt Eden Domain? You will pass within close proximity to four in Cornwall Park, after crossing Greenlane Road.

6. Directions. The walk is dreadfully poorly signposted, so if you want to follow the correct course, you will need the green and blue covered pamphlet called ‘Explore Auckland city’s walkways’ that is available from the Visitor Centres at Princes Wharf. If you are not familiar with the area you will be walking in an Auckland map directory would be a wise accompaniment. If you are walking from Princes Wharf follow the infrequent yellow walkway signs. From Onehunga they are blue. There are also older walkway signs that you will become familiar with.

Try also http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/places/walkways/coasttocoast/index.asp which includes a map of the route.


Coast to Coast
This is a most interesting walk of 16 kilometres with a suggested time of four hours, that takes you from Downtown Auckland, (Viaduct Harbour/Princes Wharf) on the Waitemata Harbour, to Onehunga on the Manukau Harbour. A surprising percentage of the distance is in or beside parks, so you do not have traffic to contend with all the way.
Naturally this walk can be undertaken in either direction. This description describes the walk from the city to Onehunga. However, ending in the city when tired with the abundance of cafés on offer could be something to consider. A feature of this walk is the number of clever and interesting sculptures along the way. Keep an eye out for them.

Things to consider for this walk: 1. Transport to the start and from the finish. Consider taking your car to the finish and bus to the start, when you are tired, you could be glad you did. Or go with friends and leave a car at each end. But remember city parking can be expensive. 2. Money, for the bus and for any cafés you might want to frequent along the way. The bus ride I would expect would be around $5 each adult. From Onehunga take a Downtown service. If you take the Midtown one, you will have an extra walk at the other end! 3. What time to start? Getting under way after 9:30 in the summer will mean you are finishing in the heat of the afternoon. From Royal Oak to Onehunga there is less shelter and the heat can be exhausting. 4. Hydration. Carry water! Allow at least two litres each. We didn’t walk this on the hottest Auckland day, but that’s what we needed. That’s a lot of café drinks to buy if you don’t! 5. Toilets. All parks have at least one that will be open, except Mt Eden Domain? You will pass within close proximity to four in Cornwall Park, after crossing Greenlane Road. 6. Directions. The walk is dreadfully poorly signposted, so if you want to follow the correct course, you will need the green and blue covered pamphlet called ‘Explore Auckland city’s walkways’ that is available from the Visitor Centres at Princes Wharf. If you are not familiar with the area you will be walking in an Auckland map directory would be a wise accompaniment. If you are walking from Princes Wharf follow the infrequent yellow walkway signs. From Onehunga they are blue. There are also older walkway signs that you will become familiar with. Try also http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/places/walkways/coasttocoast/index.asp which includes a map of the route.
Description from City to Onehunga (walked on 14.1.06) The true start (or finish) is past the ‘big boat’ KZ 1 on display outside the Maritime Museum, heading away from the Hilton. Coming back the right way there are some concrete steps down to the water to allow you to touch the water in both harbours on the same day. Although, endeavouring to do this on the Manukau if you find the tide out could be tricky. Anyway, pass Britomart, turn left, and head up Emily Place to the first small park with a memorial to John Churton, a respected Christian, and the site of an early Auckland church. Albert Park is next, on the right, and worth the detour if only to inspect the floral clock and flower beds. The map suggests a route through the Auckland University. Well done if you find it. Likewise going through the Auckland domain, but if you keep walking you are likely to find your way out. A caffeine boost at the kiosk will be timely for the Mt Eden climb approaches.

To find your way out of the domain, head for the old pavilion, the Park/Carlton Gore intersection behind it is where you need to be. The high rise building west of the Museum is the hospital, heading to the south (left) of this will also bring you out at the intersection. The walk to Mt Eden (Regional Council info here) will take you past St Peters College and then Auckland Boys Grammar schools. Once in the domain head up to the summit (some though bypass this, gravitating down to the cafes on Mt Eden road!) circumnavigating the crater before descending to the ascending access road. Follow the road up before branching left (over the fence a tiny tagged sign of the old variety on a short post gives a clue to which path) on a steep gravel path that takes you down to Owens Road. Turn left. No sign. Right onto Cecil, left onto Epsom and right into the College of Education which is relatively well signed all the way through. Cross through the lovely Melville Park where we saw representative women cricketers competing, over Gillies Ave into Kimberley where at its end you will see the interesting Logan Campbell memorial fountain across Manukau Road. Basically continue up Puriri Drive to the summit of One Tree Hill! (More Regional Council info here) Downhill all the way from here, to Manukau Road, around the Royal Oak roundabout to Symonds Street, but I’m not sure why, a more direct route is straight down Manukau? Anyway, detour again through Jellicoe Park, crossing to the far side of this before heading back to Norman Hill Road and down to the finish line.
At the bottom of Norman Hill turn left heading along Beachcroft where the finish/start is on the other side of the road before a small park. With stops for morning tea and lunch and sixty something photos, we took nearer five hours. The water here is the Onehunga Lagoon, a little disappointing as the harbour is obscured, and on the other side of a motorway. This can be overcome by heading back along Beachcroft about 500 metres where there is an overhead bridge that crosses the motorway bringing you close to a very pleasant picnic area and some great views of the harbour. We continued on to the Mangere bridges, the big one has a walkway underneath, the old one is a pedestrian thoroughfare. An interesting extension.
BUT, from the official finish line, where to from here?! If you need to catch the bus, head up Church Street to the left of the Renaissance building. About 500 metres up on the right is the Library, with the bus centre on the far side. Ensure you catch a Downtown not Midtown service to get you back to where you started. If you have bussed to Onehunga, get off the bus at the Library, walk forward to Church Street, turn left, walk to the bottom of this street (about 500 metres) cross the road to the park and the start sign should be close by on your right.

This information was gathered while on site in 2006.