A new playground will be constructed this year on our waterfront, creating a space where people of all ages and abilities can enjoy spending time, connecting with nature and celebrating our city’s rich culture and history.
We are working alongside the Playground Centre to design and build the new playground.
The playground is a key part of the Waterfront transformation
We’re building a new playground on the Tauranga Waterfront for our whole community to enjoy. The playground is one of many exciting projects happening along our Waterfront to help our city centre become an even greater place for people to live, work, visit, learn and play.
The Waterfront will be a hive of activity for summer 2024 with key projects reaching completion. Next to the playground, the northern area of the Waterfront will open to the public in November and will include a large, grassed recreation and event space with gardens and trees, a new half basketball court, upgrades to the shared pathway along the water’s edge – including seating and planting, and the creation of a new rocky foreshore (seawall) that will attract marine plants and animals.
Playground design
The new playground will boast an impressive 8-metre-tall waka tower structure which will be a key attraction. There will be a variety of ways to access this structure, from the elevated pathway with connecting bridges to rope climbing for kids that love a bit more adventure. Kids will be able to enjoy the stunning view of the moana and try and spot the local marine life from this vantage point. They can tell their friends on the ground when they spot something cool, using fun talking tubes on the waka tower structure.
There's also a nature play zone and an elevated pathway that follows the milky way and a water play zone with troughs and water pumps and more.
Elements of Māori culture will be woven into the look and feel of the new playground. The playground will be a place where all of our tamariki can belong.
Along with the neighbouring green reserve, there are additional plans for new public toilet and changing amenities adjacent to the new playground.
And just in case you’re wondering, our treasured sculptures of Hairy Maclary and his friends won’t be going anywhere – they’ll be sticking around for all the fun!
Accessibility and safety
Accessible routes are planned throughout the playground so children of all abilities can enjoy their time exploring the different play zones. Each play zone will offer accessible options for children with different abilities, so everyone gets a great experience together in the same space. A new accessible public toilet facility is also being planned, adjacent and integrated with the playground.
Like the current playground, the new waterfront playground will not be fenced so everyone can enjoy this space freely. Visual and physical elements will be incorporated in the design to provide some soft barriers, such as seating, planters and landscaping. The current railway line fencing will remain in place and landscaping features will provide additional separation from the playground.
Making it easy for as many people as possible to access and use the playground is really important to us and is a key consideration in our design.