Our local reserve isn’t likely to be on peoples’ list of places to visit in Auckland but we like it.
Don’t know why but it seems that in Auckland (maybe all of New Zealand) that parks are called reserves, there is often an area that it is wilder and maybe that’s the reason for the name.
Bonnie Brea Reserve can be access either from MacPherson Street or Meadowbank Road. MacPherson is the entrance you that see the park through in the photos and the one you want use if you have a push chair. The Meadowbank entrance gives you a nice little walk through the wooded area and there are a quite few steps up to the park area. There is a fence and child proof gate that stops the kids charging off into the wood.
There are a couple of swings as well as the main play structure. The play structure is split into 2 parts with bridges linking them. The easy way up with the sliding balls with both a rope bridge and wooden tunnel bridge linking to the platform with the climbing wall and slide.
It’s all in good repair and with the spaces below the platforms that can be used as dens/bedrooms/etc… for pretend play. It is still a little small and the kids will have done everything very quickly, so they have to do pretend play. So far we have always had the place to ourselves which is a double-edged sword as they get to play with what they want but there’s no one to play with.
So overall a nice little park with a wild area, would be nice to have a table for picnics in the summer but there is plenty of grass to layout your picnic rug.
Love the fences around the park for smaller children! That was everywhere in Tasmania, too – makes it so much more relaxing!
Yup here there is an expectation you’re looking after the kids so it’s not totally fenced just the most dangerous side ie forest or road (rocket ship park)
That’s already a big help, though. Being totally unfenced can be stressful, especially with more than one kid, making for shorter visits to the playground – not a good combo when you live in an apartment, either!
Glad my two are more reliable in that way these days.