Belle Verde Playground reopens

The refreshed Belle Verde Reserve playground in Sunnynook is now open for tamariki to enjoy.

The playground has new equipment which is more appealing to children of all ages, including a balance beam course, climbing module, new swings, a longer slide and a rocker. The addition of a picnic table means that parents / caregivers supervising now have another place to sit and watch comfortably from the sidelines. The variety of features gives whānau in the area more reasons to get outdoors and connect with others in the community.

A playground celebration and street party on Belle Verde Drive was hosted by North Shore Neighbourhood Support and the Devonport-Takapuna local board to mark the reopening and bring residents together.

“This kind of event is the perfect incentive for neighbours to come out, play on the playground and socialise with one another, creating connectedness and resilience within the community,” says North Shore Neighbourhood Support coordinator Selena Wong.

“Around 40 people came to the event. We want people to feel connected to reduce social isolation, and so to have a street party where everyone showed up was a really great way to show communities do care and they want to come and connect.”

Feedback from the public helped inform the renewal, with the community keen to see more natural elements like wood rather than plastic, and more challenging activities available for older children. There was also a strong desire for a shade sail which was added to the design by popular demand.

“Families told me they love how there’s way more options for different age groups, and that because the playground is a bit bigger, smaller kids are able to play in different areas from bigger kids, providing enough space for everyone,” says Selena.

“It provides for a lot of intergenerational play, I saw some kids say, ‘I’ve never seen this before, how do you use it?’ and the parents would teach them. It was awesome to also see adults play on the playground.”

The final cost of park updates is around $172,000 worth of local board funding.

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