One of the iconic parks in Auckland for a long time and still standing tall.
The rocket ship climbing frame its self is labelled as the 3rd so clearly this place has been around a bit but can’t find much history on it from the internet. Really wanted to get there as soon as I saw it but when my wife told me she used to play there as a kid and it became even more special.
Before you think that it’s a tired park full of nostalgia let me correct you, this place has been madeover, probably several times, as you can tell with the wheelchair swing for example. Guess that’s one of the differences with Asia, having “western” health a safety laws means that public playgrounds have to be made over or shut down. Thankfully governments are getting it, having places for kids to play outside and exercise is good for them, both now and for their future lives.
Anyway back to the park. The kids play area is split into three main areas; the Rocket, the Castle and the older kids area.
The Rocket is great but a squeeze for us adults! My 5-year-old can get up to the top on her own but the 2-year-old needs some help. With it being fully enclosed there isn’t any chance of falling and the view from the top is great. The only problem can be the traffic jams going up and down as there is only 1 set of ladders. Most of the kids are great and don’t run over the little ones but some can get impatient to get up or down. We have only been here in winter but I’m sure the tables round the bottom will be great and packed come the summer for picnics.
The Castle area is for the younger kids but is also wheel chair accessible for some areas. There are little areas that can be dungeons or bed rooms, safe climbing and a couple of slides. Not only is this great for climbing and normal play but also pretend play as well. Also round about are rocking things, seesaw and bucket swings.
The older kids area has the modern funky climbing equipment that twists and twirls all over the place. Also a circle of swings that all swing into the centre that I think is a really cool setup.
As well as the kids playground there is also plenty of grass area for picnics once it gets warm as well as exercise equipment. Add in a couple of cool cafes just across the road and you can see why it gets quite busy at weekends.
I will be blogging about Park Side Cafe and Pyrenees.
That rocket looks awesome.
It is very cool 🙂