Over the weekend, Ōrākei Local Board and members of the community celebrated the opening of the newly redeveloped Waiatarua Reserve carpark at Meadowbank.
Waiatarua Reserve is much-loved by locals and is New Zealand’s biggest urban wetland restoration project.
Previously, the Reserve’s gravel carpark had suffered from a number of potholes but the redevelopment has seen it tar sealed with the addition of footpaths, kerbs and dog washing facilities.
Ōrākei Local Board Chair Kit Parkinson says the board members are proud to have funded the redevelopment of the reserve’s carpark.
“Waiatarua Reserve is a key priority for our board, both recreationally and environmentally. It’s important to us that the reserve is easy to access for the wide variety of user groups who visit,” he says.
The board has also improved walking tracks in the reserve and constructed a new bridge at the Grand Drive entrance for pedestrians, as well as funding a number of other renewal upgrades for parks and reserves in the area.
The building next to the carpark is leased by the board to Men’s Shed Auckland East, a community group which assists the Eastern Bays Songbird Initiative with making rodent traps. The group are pleased that construction of the carpark is complete and they no longer have to contend with potholes.
Find out more about Waiatarua Reserve and other wetlands you can visit in Auckland.
