Western Park

Western Park is waaay bigger than you’d think. I mean, it’s not huge but it’s bigger than it looks from P.Road. It’s an off leash dog park as well so is a great spot to take the pups for a run and rummage.
We went recently in the middle of winter and the shade from the leafy evergreens had kept the ground sodden from the previous rainfall. It didn’t bother us because there’s paths but the dogs went off-​roading and by the end of it were covered in mud… thank goodness we took towels and had a large boot!

Western park is fantastic! Not only is it free to visit, its beauty is vast. Find a shady spot and enjoy your lunch break. There are picnic tables and a vast green area for children to play plus a play area with swings. It is super steep to walk through so don’t take your heels. Get fit by following their fitness map located at the bottom of the park (furthest from Ponsonby Road). There are several activity stations for you to use to get you upto peak fitness. Remember you mosquito cream though.

I love Western Park just for the sheer variety of stuff in it. At the top/​Ponsonby end, it has those surreal sunken building sculptures which always freak me out, and picnic tables that make a great spot to sit with a good bite — I’d always bring my Murder Burger here before it closed down. Heading down the hill is a lovely walk among the trees — you’d never know you were so close to the heart of a major city. You then emerge from the trees and the expanse of green grass at the bottom is a liberating sight — I always want to break out into a run and hop on the big playground or just lay out in the sun in the middle of the grass. There’s something for everyone — even a course for the fitness junkies among us; and there’s always lots of varyingly interesting people around — comes with the inner-​city territory. In all, a great inner-​city park with a variety of experiences and lots of character.

Western Park what a treasure trove of a park this is! At first glance and I know there are still many people out there who think this, It looks like it’s just the one level but the further you walk in the more there is to explore.
At the bottom there is a great kids playground with a big slide and even a good old flying fox, it’s a great place to take the kids and the dogs. It’s off leash so your dog gets to run around and play with the other dogs that are always bound to be around as it is a busy and popular park. It also caters to you fitness junkies out there with stationary exercise apparatus throughout the park to do chin ups and sit ups etc.

Want local flavour? Try Western Park. At the K Road end of Ponsonby Road it’s close enough to the city to attract those «interesting» types that seem to just love hanging out in parks (broad daylight sleeping seems to be the thing here).
This place is a bit of a secret in that from its main entrance on Ponsonby Road it looks very small. Even if you can’t be arsed walking down the hill to explore, seeing John Radford’s famous building sculptures is reason enough. They have become a much-​loved Ponsonby icon and still fascinate kids and adults alike after all these years.
If you do decide to carry on down the hill though, you’ll find a landscaped basin with a pretty cool playground leading to tennis courts and sports fields. Who knew? The playground is always fairly quiet, thanks I think to the steep climb down (and inevitably back up).
The last time I was here there was a film crew shooting so like I said, you just never know what surprises await. It’s also a great spot for lunch if you work nearby and there’s even a fitness trail if the hill just isn’t enough.

This is the place where I spent hours and hours pretending to study. My love for sculptures and all things artsy led me to this place after I realised studying indoors when the weather was amazing, was a complete waste of my time. I grabbed my study items, a novel that had nothing to do with my exams and a beverage of some sort.
I sat on the bench looking at the fallen sculptures and thought about the mysteries of life, hours went by as I say there contemplating what was there before and what will be there in the future,
All I can say is if you are looking for a place to just take a chill pill, enjoy some quiet time, «study» and be one with the grass then Western Park is for you. The location is perfect that if you get hungry you can just waddle on to Ponsonby road or K road for a bite.