Exhibition Drive Filter Station Carpark is a free parking lot at Woodlands Park, Waitakere City, in the bush-clad hills above Titirangi on Auckland's western edge, and it holds a 4.3 rating on Google. Free car parks at the start of a walk or bike ride live by the weather: a fine Saturday can fill every space by mid-morning, while a showery weekday leaves room to spare. Regulars arrive early, park nose-out for an easy exit, and stow bags and phones out of sight, since unstaffed lots are where opportunistic break-ins happen. After rain, the sealed bays near an entrance usually hold up better than gravel edges. A quick check of the signage for time limits or overnight rules is worth thirty seconds before setting off. For anyone bound along Exhibition Drive on foot or by bike, this is the obvious place to leave the car.