Hundreds turned out on Friday to celebrate the opening of the new skate park and play zones at Wellsford War Memorial Park.
Rodney Local Board member Tessa Berger says the community’s vision is embraced in the new play zone which combines challenging play, recreation areas and really optimises the park space.
“The culture of the community is very important. This came through very clearly during consultation on the design.
"The new skate park and play zones certainly reflects this thinking. Everyone gets to enjoy the space even when they’re not using the equipment.”
About 250 kids and their families attended the opening and the facility was blessed by Kaumatua Otene Reweti.
Champion skaters and BMX riders including Umberto Skinner and Jayden Leeming demonstrated new tricks and stunts and showed kids how to be safe while trying these out.
Other highlights included shooting hoops with local board members, playing on the new equipment and riding scooters, bikes and skateboards.
Designed for all ages and abilities; the skate park offers a resurfaced skate bowl and a new flow bowl, quarter pipe, banked wall, pyramid and round rail.
New play equipment, voted for by school children and the community, caters for older children with a bird nest swing, a rotating carousel spinner and a basketball half court. Logs and rocks make handy seats and encourage natural play, while the new path extension provides easy access to the playground.
The facility took three months to build and cost $480,000.
