Western Springs Park Walk | Auckland

This spring-fed lake was one of the city’s earliest water sources and has become an urban wildlife sanctuary for an array of native and exotic birds.

It is also home to the endangered native longfin eel which grows at a glacial pace of between one and two centimetres each year. Peer over the picturesque humped red bridges and see if you can spot one of these remarkable creatures lurking in the shallows. Fishing is prohibited.

The main walking loop has wooden seats and picnic tables if you’d like to extend your visit. There are plenty of grassed areas to kick a ball around or challenge the family to a game of cricket. Nearby is the Auckland Zoo, and Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) which regularly operates a tram around the park.

The lake is called Te Wai Ōrea which means “waters of the eel.”

Accessibility: Well graded wide concrete paths. Allow 30 min for the 1.8km loop.
How to get there: 731 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. Roadside parking on Motions Road.