Western Springs Park, Motions Rd, Auckland 1022
Type of Course – Three laps
Shoes Required – Road
Things to know
Plenty of free parking is available in the Auckland Zoo car park. Public toilets and a children’s playground are available near the course start. The zoo opens at 9.30am.
Very low risk of cancellation (annual cancellation for Pasifika Festival in March).
Pacing event last Saturday of the month.
Cafe: Weta Café, Auckland Zoo, opens at 8.30am. Discounts for parkrunners.
Location of start:
The run starts at the entrance to Western Springs Park from the Auckland Zoo car park.
Getting there by public transport
Buses can be caught to Auckland Zoo from across Auckland. See the Auckland Transport website for more information. From Britomart, bus numbers 30, 80, 90, 115, 135, 153 and 195 can all be used. Alight at stop number 8124.
Getting there on foot
Stop 8124 is at the corner of Great North and Motions Rd. Walk down Motions Rd until you reach the entrance to Auckland Zoo. If you turn right into the entrance way, the Western Springs parkrun starts at the beginning of Western Springs Park, up the small rise in front of you.
Getting there by road
Drive from the city on State Highway 16 towards Helensville, take exit 6 for Saint Lukes Rd. Turn right onto St Lukes Rd (signs for Port Chevalier/Western Springs). Turn left onto Great North Rd. Turn right onto Motions Rd. Turn right at the entrance to the Auckland Zoo. Parking is available in the Zoo’s car park.
Stats
First run: November 21, 2015
Inaugural attendance: 95
Record attendance: 246 (11/01/2020)
Course records
Women: Rebekah Greene 17:42 (03/11/2018)
Men: Oliver Mott 15:53 (05/01/2019)
The Story Behind Western Springs parkrun…
Michael Jenkinson, event director
Mike Wilkinson, the original ED asked me to be involved rught from the start.
I didn’t know about parkrun, we were in the same running club, TempoFit. A lot of us did the parkrun course the week before it started, as a trial run.
I couldn’t do the first one – our anniversary falls on the same day as other events.
It was quite social from the start, there were a lot of runners from our running club. I was able to meet up with like-minded people, have a run and then a coffee.
Mike asked me to help a bit more, I didn’t know him until a few months before parkrun started.
“When we started we had a lot of beginner runners who did the Couch to 5km programme. They’d come along and improve every week.
“They started by walking and now some are sub 25. We see the change in people and that’s what I enjoy.
“We get quite a few visitors because we’re close to the city.
“As you start, on the left are the elephants and often they’re standing watching parkrunners. You can walk right up to the back fence and see the elephant enclosure. We often hear the lions roaring as we set up.”