Mangati Walkway, Bell Block - New Plymouth

Walk status: On-lead

We don't get out to Bell Block often, so a meetup with a friend made it the perfect opportunity for George and I to explore somewhere new. Mangati walkway has lots of options of where to start and end, but for ease we parked up at Gardenia Avenue Reserve located on Gardenia Ave and started our walk from there and ended where it joined the coastal walkway.

Starting at Gardenia Avenue Reserve is a concrete path that follows the edge of the park, heading downhill to join one of the many entrances to the walkway. If the weather is good, you can take the bush path midway down the hill on your right, indicated by a marker as shown in one of the photos. I imagine this could get quite muddy in winter, so the alternative is to follow the concrete path instead.

We started this walk on the bush path so that we could create a loop. Winding your way along the bush path, you have a small stream running on one side, and houses lining the other. You'll shortly then pop out on Parklands Avenue, and need to cross over to keep going.

Once crossing the road, you join a wide gravel lined path that winds its way around the surrounding grass and trees, with various bridges to cross and entry and exit points galore. Be aware, many cyclists use this path, and some travel at high speed so be aware of your surroundings and where your dog is. Always keep left. Continuing along this pathway eventually leads you to a wayfinder sign that shows you options to extend your walk if you wish - heading down to the beach and looping back, or continuing on by joining the coastal walkway. We were on a time deadline on this particular day so turned around at the sign and headed back.

On the way back we did a slightly different track by crossing the last little red bridge and heading left to follow the path along the grassed area of the track. Crossing back over Parklands Avenue we rejoined the track on the concrete pathway this time, following along beside the stream until reaching the bridge that crossed us back over to the park to finish our walk.

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of options to start and stop this walk, so have a look at the councils walkway map (view it here) to see where best suits you. This walkway is a great choice for the winter months, with options to stay clean on the gravel or concrete paths.

With George on a lead for this one, and me stopping every time he did, we travelled slower than usual. It took around 40mins in total to do the walk, and was 2.65kms.

Location: Started at Gardenia Avenue Reserve, located on Gardenia Ave

Plenty of alternative entry and exit options.

Things to know:

There are toilets at the far end of the walkway, at Bell Block beach

Watch for cyclists, its a popular route

Karaka berries and wandering jew on this walkway