Hillsborough Cemetery to the Bays

60 Minutes • Easy with steps • The Hillsborough Cemetery to the Bays walk is one of the few walks in Auckland that does not have a nearby cafe.

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We feel this walk deserves to be in our collection because it is quite magical – from the peacefulness of the cemetery, to the rustling of the bush and then the lapping of the water at the edge of Manukau Harbour.

NOTE: Sorry this walk has parts washed out so I’ve taken the map off. I’ll put it back on once the track is fixed.

Quick facts about this walk

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There is a publication called ‘Not Just Passing Through – the making of Mt Roskill’ by Jade Reidy that devotes a page to Hillsborough Cemetery. The cemetery contains resting places for about 17,000 people who were buried there from 1916.

Even the first man to go over the Niagara Falls in a barrel, Bobby Leach, is buried there.

The walk passes through the native bush of two reserves – Goodall Street reserve and Belfast Reserve. These two reserves have stands of native bush and fauna.

Dogs – this walk includes off leash dog exercise areass.

At the bottom of the hill, you can get great views across Manukau Harbour to Mangere Mountain. And when the tide is in, the scene is set for a spot of kayaking!

Photos from my walk along the Hillsborough cemetery to the bays

See more of my 150+ walks in Auckland

Helen Wenley

This project began in 2011. My friend Grace was the walk creator – with her knowledge of Auckland, she could “see” circular routes, and then it was up to me to map out, photograph, research and document the routes. At first, I relied upon my voice recorder and Google maps but then with the advancement of technology, the smart phone became a best friend and I was able to track our route. The best fun was when we were both pleasantly surprised by what there was to see. Beautiful wetlands, views and bush kept us inspired to explore more.

2 Responses

Julie says:

5 March 2024 at 8:50 am

Hi Sandra
The paths in this map are actually closed due to storm damage, have been for a year and will be for some time to come, so can you please remove that walk as it would be dangerous to walk through these parks.
Thanks
Julie

Reply
1. FreewalksNZ says:
  
  5 March 2024 at 2:10 pm
  
  Thanks so much for letting me know Julie. I’ve take the map off this walk and put a notice up. Hopefully it will be open again soon.
  Sandra