In this 4K Walking Tour of New Zealand in Autumn / Fall, we walk around the lake of Western Springs in Auckland.
We encounter many local birds including lots of Pukeho (a native bird of New Zealand). The beautiful colours of the fallen leaves made this walk special. As a bonus, we manage to see an old heritage tram going by us.
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and this is one of the many parks in the city.
Use headphones for the best immersive experience while listening to the sounds of the environment including the local birds.
Click the CC (Closed Captions) for more information about many of the places mentioned below and more.
Western Springs Lake
In Māori the place is called Te Wai Ōrea which means “The waters of the Orea (eel)”.
Underground rivers run through ancient valleys created by the eruptions and lava flows of the surrounding volcanic field. Water springs forth here and flows out to the Waitemata Harbour.
Some attractions that are near here are the Auckland Zoo and MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology). Also next to this park is Western Springs stadium which holds speedway races and concerts. (Rob’s father used to race here – he’s a NZ champ)
Photos from the Walking Tour
Ange was busy taking photos while Rob was filming the 4K video. Here are some of those photos:
![Pukeko - Native birds of New Zealand at Western Springs, Auckland NZ. Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pukeko-nz-native-birds-western-springs-auckland.jpg)
These are native birds of New Zealand called Pukeko. You will often find them near lakes and rivers. When they call out to each other, it sounds like they are screaming. These ones appeared at the beginning of filming. It reminded me of that scene in Jurassic Park where the velociraptors were circling their prey. 🙂 One of them followed me for quite a while. You can see it in the video.
![Swans with their baby swan at Western Springs Lake, Auckland, New Zealand - Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/swans-baby-swan-western-springs-auckland.jpg)
There are also swans at Western Springs Lake. Here we were fortunate to see a baby swan with its parents (I assume they’re parents and it’s not being held hostage).
![Swans on the lake at Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand - Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/swans-western-springs-lake-auckland.jpg)
Yes, a couple of black swans on the lake. I wonder if Tchaikovsky is around here somewhere.
![Autumn Trees at Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand - Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/autumn-at-western-springs-auckland-new-zealand.jpg)
Rob had fun running through the piles of fallen leaves to the left. You can hear the crunching of the leaves – almost like an ASMR video (and maybe a squeal of delight) in the video.
![Autumn Colours at Western Springs Park, Auckland, New Zealand - Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/autumn-colours-auckland-western-springs-park.jpg)
Look at those pretty colours. They were even better in real life (not a boring photo).
![Two bridges at Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand - Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/two-bridges-western-springs-auckland.jpg)
It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure … which bridge will you take?
![Western Springs Lakeside, Auckland, NZ - Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/western-springs-lake-auckland-nz.jpg)
Pretty sky … weird how it rained 30 minutes later.
![Rob filming a 4K walking tour video at Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand - Woodward Culture](https://www.woodwardculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/rob-filming-swans-willow-western-springs-auckland.jpg)
Here’s Rob filming the 4K walking tour … just before he was attacked. I’m glad I captured that moment. 🙂