Estimated reading time: 1 min


Highlights
Distance | 3km |
Duration | 1 hour, an easy flat walk |
Parks | Archibald Park, Kelston Onewherowhero / Brains Park, Kelston |
Pathway location | Section 2 |
This walk loops around the shore of the lower Whau estuary in Archibald Park, providing access to water-based activities and beautiful wetland views. Archibald Park is named after the site of a once-famous brickworks.

The Whau waterway in Archibald Park is alive with history, of regattas and flotilla fun days through the ages. Waka ama paddlers still use this park as a launching spot. In the 1800s cutters and scows came up the river on the tide, to load bricks and ceramics from wharves at New Lynn. Before that, the Whau River was the important part of a portage route for Maori canoes between the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours.
Playgrounds
There is a playground in Brains Park and a fabulous new playground in Archibald Park – check out the opening celebrations!
Directions and route map
Download printer-friendly of the Kelston Loop Walk (June 2021)
Estimated reading time: 2 min
File type: Adobe Acrobat PDF
File size: 547KB
Start at the car park by the boat ramp off Beaubank Road, and follow Te Whau Shared Pathway northwards along the river bank.
At the end of the park, turn left and follow the walkway through to Cobham Crescent. Turn Right into Cobham Crescent and follow that road until Kiernan Place. Turn right into Kiernan Place, and then where Kiernan Place turns sharp right, you turn left into a walkway that crosses a Wairau Creek tributary.
Emerge at Aronui Terrace, and turn left into Tamariki Ave. Turn left again into Brains Park, an important sports park, and follow the map to Archibald Road.
Cross Archibald Road diagonally to your left, and finish the loop through Archibald Park by returning in an easterly direction to the car park where you started.

What the locals say
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Best selfie spot
Do you have a good selfie spot for this walk? Post it on Instagram with the tag #tewhaupathway and we’ll share it here!
Park information
Find out more about the parks (and where the loos are) on this route from the Auckland Council website.
- Archibald Park, Kelston
- Onewherowhero / Brains Park, Kelston