The Chelsea Heritage Park provides a relaxing walk through the bush, waterways and grassed areas with awesome views across the harbour to downtown Auckland, Westhaven Marina and the harbour bridge.
Entrances for the walks are at the top end of Colonial Road as it enters the park, and from the main Chelsea Sugar Refinery car park down by the seawall.
There are open spaces to have a picnic or let the kids have a runaround, and the park opening commemoration sculpture highlights some of the best views.
If you walk along the seawall path right next to the main pond, it takes you into Chelsea Bay Reserve and you have a lovely view of the bay and harbour through many pohutukawa.
In the trees above the main pond you can see nesting shags and throughout the park there are a variety of native birds such as tui and wood pigeon.
The smaller walks take you through regenerating bush and stands of more mature trees. The walk up past the upper pond (above the road crossing) is particularly enjoyable, though a reasonable level of fitness is required.
The lakes are home to a variety of native fish, such as short and long-finned eels, common bully and banded kokopu as well as exotic species such as perch, goldfish, grass and koi carp.
Photo Credits:
‘Over the Water‘ by Michael Seow