Well-loved Waipapa Reserve Playground gets a modern makeover
Waipapa Reserve Community Playground located on Waipapa Road in the central Wellington suburb of Hataitai has been a well-loved play space for local neighbourhood residents and playgroups for several decades.
By 2022 it had become tired and dated and was on the list of council playground renewals, so Park Supplies & Playgrounds Sales Manager Jenny (Jen Mullins) reached out to the local council contact to gain a better picture of the goals and specific requirements for the playground.
The playground site provided a few challenges in that the ground was quite sloped and is also located right next to an early childhood education (ECE) centre so there were a few considerations around under 5s. The council specified that they would like the new playground to be as natural looking as possible, incorporating wood and neutral tones such as forest green and sand for the equipment and include lots of all accessible play.
Based on the council brief the Park Supplies & Playgrounds Design Team came up with several designs which were submitted and then sent out for consultation with the community. Once the community had their say, the council landed on a design and worked with Jen and the Park Supplies Design Team on several iterations until the perfect playground for the space was achieved.
Winter 2022 was very wet however the playground installation went ahead, the existing synthetic surface and the old playground were removed, and new synthetic safety surfacing was laid down.
New equipment for the playground included;
Swings with both Belt Seats for toddlers and Half Bucket Seats for children, a Lunar Spinner as a dynamic element, lots of climbing and overhead activities as well as a Tube Slide and Straight Slide as exit points on the main structure.
Two of the original playground equipment items; a red fire truck structure and seesaw were able to be repurposed and included in the new design.
The Park Supplies & Playgrounds custom routering service enabled several of the playground panels to be customised with Waipapa Reserve text and bespoke leaves which tied in nicely to the natural theme. A “Little Kiwi Shop” component was also custom routered to add an interactive and imaginative element to the playground.
Upon completion of the installation, the Waipapa Reserve Community Playground was opened to the public at the end of August 2022 and will be well utilised by excited local children, the ECE and other church and community groups in the area.
Hataitai residents have already expressed their enthusiasm for the playground on Facebook with comments such as:
Is your school planning a new playground?
If you would like more information or assistance in planning your playground please get in touch with us on
0800 752 947
or contact one of the team below
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SALES MANAGER
Mobile: 021 822 676
Phone: 09 527 4666
Email: jenny@parksupplies.co.nz
PLAYGROUND CONSULTANT
Mobile: 021 0805 3949
Phone: 09 527 4666
Email: dan@parksupplies.co.nz
PLAYGROUND CONSULTANT
Mobile: 021 243 7038
Phone: 09 527 4666
Email: adrian@parksupplies.co.nz
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