Maungawhau gets new playground in time for summer
The popular children’s playground on Normanby Road at the foot of Maungawhau / Mt Eden is getting a massive upgrade.
The existing playground is being removed this week and a brand new adventure park will be in place by mid-December, in time for school holidays.
Scott De Silva, Manager Tūpuna Maunga at Auckland Council says the main focus on this project has been safety, design for all ages, and of course fun for the kids.
“The existing playground was fairly basic and due for replacement, so we’ve taken the opportunity to make a lot of improvements and add some pretty neat new features that we know the kids will love.”
“The layout and equipment for the new playground have been designed to cater for a wider range of ages and ability, with everything from swings and a push-train for the young ones to a flying fox and a fantastic climbing net in the shape of a volcanic cone – an appropriate nod to Maungawhau – for the older kids.”
The playground will include:
- Cushion-fall safety surface
- Seating
- Triple bay swing
- Climbing/swinging play module
- Double adventure tower and tube slide
- Second slide tower
- 6-metre high climbing net in the shape of a maunga
- Bridge connecting the towers to the climbing net
- Seesaw
- Spinner
- Hand-pushed train ride
- New flying fox
Margi Watson, Albert-Eden Local Board member says, “It’s great to see one of our most popular playgrounds being upgraded. The new adventure park will be perfect for the community to enjoy, coming into summer.”
Maungawhau / Mt Eden is one of the 14 Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) returned to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau under the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act 2014, marking an important milestone for these taonga and new guidelines for their care, use and management.
Members of the Tāmaki Collective of iwi were consulted on design options and the colour scheme for the new playground to help ensure a natural and appropriate fit with Maungawhau.