Hurstmere Green

What used to be a grassy knoll with a lone bommyknocker tree has been transformed into a great space for locals to enjoy their lunch. There’s still plenty of grass but there’s also additional seating in the form of tiered bench seats, wooden recliners and large communal tables — perfect for enjoying an ice cream from Movenpick or better yet, fresh sushi from Bian.
Reading a book, eating your packed lunch or waiting for a table at a nearby café, whatever your jam… Hurstmere Green’s got you covered!

It’s taken some time but it is great to finally see a central common area in Takapuna. The Hurstmere Green looks great and is the perfect place to sit down in the sun to read a book or simply people watch. The council seem to be taking amazing care of the area too. The only thing I believe they could add which would make the entire area more versatile is sheltered seats for intense summer days or when there is rain.

A community is only as effective as the sum of all its parts, Hurstmere Green is a public space that brings all these differing parts together. Like the jovial old uncle at Christmas dinner who consistently squeezes your cheek every time (even though you have told him how much you hate it), and asks ‘where have you been, me and your auntie haven’t seen you in ages’ and seems to bring everyone together with minimal effort, Hurstmere Green is a uniting presence for Takapuna.
Always bustling, it is usually home to buskers, rustling up some cash, littlies running about under the watchful eyes of their parents eating at ‘Jam’, friends chilling out out on the horizontal wooden benches scoffing Movenpick Icecream, soccer mums setting up home baking stalls fundraising for their child’s next ‘big’ venture, and of course the Takapuna Night Markets are held here too.
For a relatively ‘cool’ and up with it looking public space, it never seems too cool for school, in fact its rather embracing. Hurstmere Green is the beating heart of a thriving little community.

Finally. I have lived in Takapuna my whole life and I always looked at Hurstmere Road as a wasted opportunity. Situated parallel to the beautiful Takapuna beach and with a smattering of great restaurants, shops and an awesome Sunday market, it should have been a great place to hang out. Now it is.
Hurstmere Green was finished around New Years and has been a favourite among Takapuna locals ever since. With very unique and cool spatial design, good seating, plenty of shade and enough grass to accommodate a heap of people, it’s the space Hurstmere Road has been waiting for.
Come down during the day to relax with lunch or a book, grab a bit to eat at one pf the fantastic cafes and restaurants that run along it’s border, or visit the Thursday night markets which take place here.
This is such a nice area, and has done wonders for the area.

There are a rusties and crusties brigade sadly prominent on the North Shore which rail against spending rates on anything other than roads, rubbish, pipes and whatnot. I challenge them to come here when the night market is on and not enjoy it. This is a perfect example of spending that’s got a community together while opening up lots of spots for great new eateries. The old Hurstmere Green by contrast was a travesty of a wasted public space — it simply worked for nobody but the smokers that used to sit in the dingy spots under the tree. Now it’s an open, vibrant space that links Hurstmere Road nicely to the beach.
I love the seating arrangements which allow you to recline or talk to your neighbour depending on what you feel like. I love the green space. I especially love the little sculpted details in the drink fountains and whatnot where they’ve managed to get a images of Lake Pupuke and Rangitoto in there — fantastic imagery evoking the natural surroundings.
Kudos to the urban designers here, and may all public spaces in Auckland eventually be upgraded to this high standard.

The new Hurstmere Green redevelopment cost the council (and ratepayers) a decent handful of change, however the results have been worth it. Some fantastic eateries have opened up on the terrace overlooking the new space and the night markets and events such as the open air cinema take advantage of the new built-​in seating areas.
The park is green with modern, well designed social and seating areas and forms an attractive transitional space from the shopping area of Hurstmere Rd to the park and beach at The Strand beyond.