The Hobsonville Coastal Walkway - Te Ara Manawa - is designed to create a landscape of discovery through navigation, one that takes visitors across place and time, through the history of both people and the landscape. Historically a place of coming and going - from a stopping point of the Maori people on fishing expeditions, to the ebb and flow of the tides and the seasonal migration of birds - this 2.5 mile walkway along the coast has much for visitors to discover. Various Maori practices and traditions have been incorporated into the design of the park, as have traces of the site’s history as a seaplane base.
NBW worked in collaboration with the New Zealand based Isthmus Group to design this new linear park on the coastline of the Upper Harbor, in Auckland. The design links the area’s parks and open space while navigating challenging topography along the Point. Expansive views of the harbor contrast with elevated bushwalks that periodically open to framed views. The sculptural pedestrian bridges and boardwalks also allow close observation of nature while protecting the fragile coastal ecology. Opportunities for discovery and learning through play are provided at various points along the walkway. As a welcoming and accessible place, the Coastal Walkway can be used and enjoyed by people from all stages of life.
Collaborator: Isthmus Group
