Get out and explore with your dog. Dogs love a new adventure as it soothes their body and mind. There are even some walks listed here that are very quiet so will suit nervous or anxious dogs too. We loved them, we're sure you will too.

Ohauiti Reserve, Tauranga

A great reserve just 10 minutes from the city of Tauranga, offering a variety of paths enabling a range of loop options. Fields for zoomies, avocado trees for some free treats and a shallow stream for the dogs to dip their toes into. Perfect for an interesting quick or longer walk.
Park on Ohauiti Road and access through the fields.

Kulim Park, Otumoetai

​A concrete harbour walkway that stretches north up to Fergusson Park and south to Chapel Street. Dogs have regular access to the water/beach. Pleasant views across the harbour, but narrow path in places and popular with cyclists, plus private houses along the path. Suggest you keep your dog under close control for this one.

Fergusson Park, Matua

​A large playing field with water access and some shade from a few trees along the waterfront. Great place to take your dog for a game of ball or Frisbee! When the tide goes out there are large expanses of sand for the dogs to run around on. Just be aware of any kite surfers!

The Lakes, Tauriko/Pyes Pa

​A popular series of man-made lakes bordered with interesting paths and cycle ways that stretch all the way to Tauranga. Great playground for the kids and cafes nearby to stop and have a coffee with your dog. There is quite a lot of wildlife on the lakes, so is advisable to keep your dog on lead or under close control. Accessible from various locations so you can make the walk as long or short as you like.

Carlton Street Reserve, Otumoetai

​A large playing field off Ngatai Road but cross over the road to enjoy a wetland walk round Matua Saltmarsh Reserve. Great place for training, playing ball, and accessing the fenced softball pitch. Can be busy on weekends with sports.

Kopurererua Reserve, Tauranga

​A fantastic reserve with cycle paths, boardwalks, grassy walkways, bush tracks, streams, lakes, ponds and fields to explore. So few use it or know about it that you can have the whole place to yourself sometimes.
Go to the bottom of 17th Ave by the Historic Village and start from there or there are access points off Cameron Road.

Tye Park, Welcome Bay

​A small park with access to the water and a small sandy beach. Ideal for a quick walk or swim with your dog. Off Forrester Drive.

Marine Park, Sulphur Point

​A small park with access to the water for the dogs to have a swim and then a large field to explore. Quiet with not many other doggy visitors. On left along Keith Allen Drive – gate locked at night.

Waikareao Estuary Loop Track, Otumoetai

A 9 km route for walking or cycling. Includes a formed gravel pathway that follows the shoreline through some pretty bush, grass and wetland areas. Great for biking with your dog. Various access points either from Chapel Street at the Daisy Hardwick end of the track or off Coach Drive.

Waipuna Park/Johnson Reserve, Welcome Bay

A great mix of open grass areas, 100 year old walnut trees, streams, wetland and pockets of native bush. Follow one of the loop walks through the area and make it a short or long as you want.
The main reserve car park is off Kaitemako Road in Welcome Bay

Gordon Carmichael Reserve Walkway, Bethlehem

​A series of paths through a wetland area, with numerous ponds with lots of ducks. Do as much or as little as you like. Main car park is off Carmichael Road, with toilets on site.

Harrison’s Cut Beach & Dune Walk, Papamoa Beach

Heaps of options to walk here. You can do a long loop walk incorporating the field, down through the dunes and along the beach and back through the pony club fields. Or just enjoy a beach walk and soak up the views to the Mount and over to Motiti Island.
Harrison's Cut car park is off Papamoa Beach Road and is sign posted. It’s opposite house 444 Papamoa Beach Road.
If you want to make it longer you can include the Papamoa Beach Reserve with its ponds on the other side of the road, off Palm Beach Boulevard.

​Papamoa East Dunes & Beach Walk

​Soak up the sea air and let the dogs have fun down at the beach, no doubt they'll take a swim or two. Views all the way to Mauao and down to Maketu
Do a loop walk along the beach from Taylor's Reserve down at Papamoa East and back through the dunes. Dogs can be off lead and under control on the beach and on lead through the dunes (lots of nesting birds and attractive pheasants!). Please stick to the dune tracks as there are regenerating plants on the dunes.
Park at the Taylor's Reserve car park off Papamoa Beach Road. Allow about 40 minutes for the walk

​Te Ara O Wairakei Reserve, Papamoa East

​A series of ponds with a pathway to follow through the area. You can make this in to a longer loop walk if you want by including the beach too.
Start from Golden Sands Drive. The reserve goes either side of this road.

Gordon Spratt Reserve, Papamoa

A range of large, flat sports fields, pathways and a small stream (drainage ditch) to explore between Parton Road and Longview Drive. Can be busy on weekends with various sports being played but often still room to walk or bike around and avoid them playing.
​Popular dog walking/playing spot so can be busy at peak times.
Parking in the main car park on Alice Lane off Parton Road. Public toilets by the tennis club.

Kaiate Falls, Welcome Bay

Off Kaiate Falls Road which is left off Waitao Road in Welcome Bay (*one of my favourites).
A chance for the dogs to explore and swim and for us to enjoy the views, the triple falls and main waterfall and the native bush. There are steep steps to contend with on this walk so bring a bottle of water and some comfy shoes. It's about an hours walk.

Yatton Park, Fraser Street, Tauranga

​Take an enjoyable short walk with your hound along the Waimapu River and through Yatton Park near Greerton. A lovely park with manicured grounds, huge trees and a section of bush too.
Park at the carpark at the main entrance of Yatton Park on Fraser Street.

I’Anson Reserve, Te Puna

​A pretty short loop walk or figure of eight walk that has a scenic pond as it's centrepiece ( be warned there are many ducks!). Paths are lined with bush and pine forests and there's a field hidden off to the right from the right hand path from the car park too.
You can walk further towards Armstrong Road too if you wish to add a little more. Tucked down Loop Road off the main SH2 in Te Puna, it's amazing how many people don't know it exists and is dog friendly.
Park at the I'Anson Reserve car park. Turn in to Loop Road off the SH2 and the car park is just on your right.

Te Puna Quarry Park

A wonderful, quirky park that hosts not only a stunning array of plants from various countries, but some unusual and eclectic sculptures too. Tracks run in various directions so there are many options as to where you can go. Some tracks are steep in parts as you climb up the old quarry to enjoy stunning views across the Tauranga Harbour. Dogs are welcome on lead only.
The park can be found at the end of Te Puna Quarry Road, off the SH2.
Parking and toilets are at the base of the hill.

Puketoki Reserve, Whakamarama

This beautiful bush reserve is in the Whakamarama area, between Tauranga and Katikati. The tracks are well maintained, with the Short Loop Track being gravel, while the Long Loop Track generally has a good dry surface to it. It is one bush reserve where you are allowed to take your dogs. There are some great streams for them to swim in. However, I strongly advise you to keep your dog on a long lead as there are poison bait traps dotted throughout the reserve.

Directions to the reserve:
To get to it from Tauranga, drive north until you reach the Whakamarama shops - and turn left into Barretts Rd, immediately before the shops. Coming from Katikati, you will need to turn right just past the shops. At the next intersection (only a short distance) turn left and then right another few hundred metres along. This is now Whakamarama Road and wends its way past farms and lifestyle blocks, climbing all the way. Some pleasant views of the Bay of Plenty and Kaimai Range can be seen on a clear day. Approximately 6 km from the main road you will drive past a school. After another 1.5 km there is a road going to the left, Odey's Road, and a signpost to Puketoki Reserve. Take this road, and after about 800m, you will see the parking area for the reserve. There is a toilet to the right of the track entrance.

TECT All Terrain Park

​This huge park offers various places to walk or bike with your dog plus the only fully enclosed, purpose built dog exercise area in Tauranga. At a hectare in size it offers dog owners the opportunity for off-lead exercise for their dogs in the safe knowledge they are contained. Find it off the SH36 Pyes Pa Road.

Huhurua Harbour Park, Plummers Point

Wonderful harbour views from this reserve which offers access to beaches at low tide, wetland and grassy field areas and walkways which you can do in a loop. It has a historic Pa site too but dogs are not allowed to enter this specific area and one area has dogs on lead only because of the nesting birds. Toilets on site and a variety of citrus and avocado trees to collect free bounty! Go to the very end of Plummers Point Road to find it.

Pahoia Beach Reserve, Pahoia

​A harbour beach walk only accessible at low tide, along the Pahoia peninsular. Can be a bit muddy so best in either bare feet or gumboots.  A few rock features to climb if you like or you can go round them. Car park reserve is at the end of Pahoia Beach Road, off Pahoia Road. Toilets on site.

Matahui Road Harbour Access

​The traditional access point for the horse run over to Matakana Island when the tide is very low. You can walk for km’s on the open sand flats along the edge or over towards Matakana with little or no-one in sight. Please check the tide times otherwise you could get caught out and get in to trouble. Parking at the very end of Matahui Road by the public horse stalls.

​Haiku Pathway, Katikati

​A pleasant riverside walk that stretches from the centre of Katikati all the way along the Uretara River and out in to the harbour. Start the trail from the carpark behind Robert Harris coffee shop (you will see a brown signpost for the Haiku Path). Follow the concrete & gravel path north along the river. You will cross over the main highway at the bridge and then rejoin it on the other side following the 'Bird Walk' section. A lovely setting, with the opportunity to check out some lovely waterfront properties along the way.

Kauri Point Reserve, Katikati

A beautiful, headland walk in a loop, along the edge of the harbour with stunning views from one end of the harbour to the other. Check out the historic wharf first or let the dogs go for a swim at the small beach. Then follow the track through the bush and through the fields at the top, following the signs. You will loop back to the car park by the toilets.
Go to the end of Kauri Point Road and turn right in to Chelmsford Street and follow the road down to the toilets. Park here and then continue to walk down the road to the wharf and the start of the track on your left.

Tuapiro Reserve, Katikati

​One of the best harbour walks in the area, and one not many know about. It features large grassy areas, white sandy harbour beaches, pine woodland and heaps of opportunities for the dogs to swim in shallow or deep water. Various loop walks along the beaches, through the woods and along the edge of the Tuapiro Creek. Take a picnic and enjoy a day there if you wish. Plenty of parking and toilets on site. Horses are allowed here so please keep your dog under control or out of their way if they are present.

Bowentown Domain, near Waihi Beach

A beautiful reserve of 128 hectares on a rocky headland at the northern entrance of Tauranga Harbour. Figure of 8 loop walk with access to beautiful sandy white beaches. You make this walk as long or short as you like. The views are spectacular.

Waihi Beach Trig

This is a great walk that rewards you with fabulous views all down the coast to the Mount, once you get to the Trig point. However, there are options for a shorter loop walk round the reservoir if you don't fancy the climb. Well formed tracks through bush and pine forests (although some have now been harvested) but there are streams for the dogs to cool off on too. Dogs need to be on lead once they get towards the Trig point due to neighbouring livestock.
Find the main car park at the end of Pacific Road, at the northern end of Waihi Beach. Follow the signs.

Waimama Reserve, Whiritoa

A picturesque walk from Whiritoa Beach, across the cliffs to the stunning Waimama Bay. You'll need to cross the stream (so be prepared you may get wet feet) on the northern end of the Whiritoa beach to access the start of the reserve track. Follow the track through the bush, across the fields and down to Waimama Bay. Dogs are required to be under control at all times so if in doubt keep them on lead. Be aware of nesting birds.
​A great place to go for a picnic and a swim with the dogs. Park at the car park behind the cafe on Fishermans Bend.

Octopus Bay, Onemana, Coromandel

​Cliff top walk to secluded beaches including the white sandy Octopus Bay and others beyond. Stunning views. Definitely take your swim stuff and a picnic. Very steep in places so only for those that are fit enough. Walk starts from the top of Onemana Drive. Nice village atmosphere with café, beach (dogs allowed on northern end once passed the nesting birds) and tennis courts.