About HBRC Parks, Trails and Open SpacesNgā kōrero o ngā papa rēhia, ngā ara hīkoinga me ngā papa o Te Kaunihera o Te Matau-a-Māui

Parks, Trails and Open Spaces

We live in a region with a climate that makes getting out and exploring second nature.

There are heaps of places for you to visit, have adventures, or relax.

Regional parks

We have four parks around the region that each have a special something for you to explore. Find out more about them here

Hawke’s Bay Trails

We’re a pretty creative bunch, and we’ve turned some of our flood protection stopbanks into beautiful limestone trails for you to see different parts of Hawke’s Bay. Find out about where you can go and what you can do here.

The Hawke's Bay Trails Great Ride is open year round for cycling and walking. Flooding, storm damage or maintenance can mean sections of the trails are closed from time to time, please check out www.hbtrails.nz for the latest updates.

River access

River areas in Hawke's Bay are great places for swimming, water sports, picnics, horse-riding, trail biking, and fishing. In a hot Hawke's Bay summer, locals seek out the shady places under the flood protection willows alongside the rivers. Find out where you can access the rivers here. 

Volunteer

Community, businesses, and school groups help out with planting new areas, weeding or barking. We manage a programme of areas that need enhancing and are always keen for some more hands to help. We will happily assist groups with plant material, equipment, and safety measures.

We regularly hold or assist with planting days throughout the region. We always need plenty of volunteers for this so if you or your community group would like to help out please check out our planting days and register online.

Care for our open spaces

These are your open spaces and we want everyone to be able to enjoy clean, tidy, attractive and safe parks, so please respect them. We want Hawke’s Bay’s locals and visitors to enjoy quality regional parks not only now, but in a hundred years’ time!

• Be a tidy kiwi, and take your rubbish away
• Check information signs at entrances to find out about permitted activities and vehicle restrictions
• Follow vehicle restrictions, they can damage habitats and the environment
• Report damage or rubbish dumping to us 24/7 on 0800 108 838

Duck Shooting

Areas of ‘No Shooting (Game Bird Hunting Prohibited)’ on the Karamu Catchment are marked on the attached map and include:
1. Waitangi Estuary:
a. Downstream of Clive Bridge.
b. From 200m above State Highway 2 downstream on Ngaruroro and Tūtaekurī Rivers.
c. Horseshoe and New wetland (upstream side of railway between Ngaruroro and Tūtaekurī backwash).
d. From Awatoto south along the coast to (but not including) the left bank of the Tukituki River.
e. Grange Creek wetland (right bank of the Tukituki River near pathway and bridge).
2. Whakatu from Flowerlands (near pathway) upstream to Whakatu Railway Bridge.
3. Ruahapia from State Highway 2 downstream for 200m.
4. Havelock North from below The Figgery (Napier Rd) upstream to Louisa Stream (Herehere Wetland).
5. Pukahu on the Karamū Stream from 500m below St Georges Road upstream to the Awanui-Irongate confluence.
6. Pekapeka Wetland from carpark downstream to Stock Road.

Dirt Parks

The Regional Council has given land for the development of two dirt parks, on the river berms in Taradale beside Pettigrew Green Arena and Clive beside the carpark.

These 'parks' have been constructed by community groups or club volunteers, who also maintain the tracks as required, and are designed specifically for BMX bikes, jump bikes or mountain bikes. No motorbikes allowed.

Regional Council staff provide guidance on the design of the tracks so that these can fit in with flood control needs along river berm areas, which can be under water during a flood. If you have an idea for a track on a river area near you, or if any of these parks need attention, get in touch with the Open Spaces team on 06 835 9200.

Horse Trails

We manage two main trail areas for horse rider recreation - Clive-Tukituki, and Awatoto-Puketapu. Another bridle trail alongside the Tukituki Trail is maintained by the local horse-riders group. Find out more here.

More information

Get in touch with our open spaces team for more information on the spaces, what you can do to help, and to report an issue on 06 835 9200.

Want to know more? Watch our video about our beautiful Regional Parks here.