MacDonald Walkway is a park and walking reserve in Mellons Bay, East Auckland, and it holds a perfect 5.0 Google rating from those who use it. In seaside suburbs like this, the green spaces people use daily are rarely the big destination parks; they are the walkways that thread between streets, often following a gully of native planting, giving walkers and dog owners a traffic-free route towards the coast or the shops. A good one shows its worth in the details: firm footing after winter rain, edges kept tidy, a bench where there is shade or a view. These small council link paths are best walked early or towards dusk, when the neighbourhood is at its quietest, and regulars soon learn the damp patches to step around after a downpour. MacDonald Walkway is that kind of unassuming local asset, and a flawless 5.0 rating suggests Mellons Bay walkers have noticed.