The environs of the Waterview Shared Path contain a regionally significant and complex network of wāhi tapu, historical remains, built heritage, archaeological sites and natural features. Near or along the path are many colonial and settler archaeological sites associated with flour milling, tanning, quarrying and farming. Many of the extant drystone walls constructed from the local bluestone basalt relate to these industries. Some of the walls date to the times of early European settlement, and are remnants of farming activities, property or field boundary walls, or retaining walls. Other stone features along the Creek derive from 1930s public drainage projects and railway construction for the North Auckland Line.

This path, which includes three new bridges, and interpretative signage, was delivered by the Well-Connected Alliance and Auckland Council as part of a raft of community mitigation measures required for the New Zealand Transport Authority Waterview Connection Project.

Albert-Eden Local Board member Margi Watson says, “This project engaged the community throughout design and construction. It fits into its sensitive ecological and landscape environment and talks to the place, story and history of Maori in Tamaki Makarau. The transport benefits are transformational for our community, as well as for Aucklanders, visitors and the city. It is both a commuter route and a recreational opportunity to make Auckland a place we can be proud of. We can now safely walk, ride and scooter to places and friends’ homes that were inaccessible unless a car was used. It is a stunner.”

The project is now a keystone for a much broader network of parks, open spaces, greenways, and pathways. With potential development planned for the Unitec campus, and intensification of housing around the Point Chevalier shopping district, the benefits of these walking and cycling connections will become even more obvious in decades to come.