Over the past eight months, five new playgrounds have opened across the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board area, offering exciting new spaces for tamariki to climb, swing, spin and explore.
Designed with all ages and abilities in mind, these playgrounds bring a mix of active, creative, and inclusive features from trampolines to treehouse decks right into the heart of local communities.
Here’s a look at what’s new near you:
Gilshennan Reserve - 35 Gilshennan Valley, Red Beach
Gilshennan Reserve.
This relocated playground now sits in a sunnier, more accessible part of the park, thanks to a new concrete path running east to west across the reserve.
The space includes a multi-slide module, balancing logs, a spinner, seesaw, and toddler, belt and basket swings. The upgrade improves accessibility with features like an accessible basket swing and seesaw, designed for tamariki of all abilities.
Extra seating makes it easier for families to stay and play, and while final touches are still being completed, the playground is already a neighbourhood favourite. Mature trees nearby will offer welcome shade during summer.
Stanmore Bay Park - 159 Brightside Road, Stanmore Bay
Stanmore Bay Park
Touches of red and yellow in the new equipment nod to the nearby rugby league club, creating a colourful and energetic playspace for all ages. There’s a multi-play climbing hut, an exciting play module with slides, a basket swing, a spinner, and picnic seating. Shade sails are coming before Labour Day 2025 to make this sunny spot more comfortable year-round.
Edith Hopper Park - 33 Ladies Mile, Manly
Edith Hopper Park
Near the netball and tennis courts, this inclusive playground features a large cabin tower with dual slides and a wheelchair-accessible carousel, making it welcoming for children of all abilities. It has a basket swing, baby and belt swings, an overhead rope climber, and an in-ground trampoline. Mature trees offer natural shade, with new seating and a picnic table nearby.
Cranston Street Reserve - 32 Cranston Street, Torbay
Cranston Reserve.
This nature-inspired playground blends into its leafy surroundings and encourages imaginative play. A modular unit supports sliding, climbing and hanging, while a surrounding balance trail adds extra challenge.
Familiar favourites like the basket swing and springer remain, and new timber seating, gravel paths and a small ramp make the space more accessible.
86 Harvest Avenue, Ōrewa
86 Harvest Avenue, Ōrewa
Built for tamariki up to 13, this modern playground has something for everyone. There’s a junior climbing module with a sand play deck, toddler swings, a seesaw rocker and carousel, and a more challenging treehouse-style rope climbing frame with a high slide. Inclusive features include a wheelchair-accessible trampoline, musical bridge, talk tubes and a net spinner with an accessible base. A nature play trail with logs, beams and steppers surrounds the site, while picnic tables and new plantings complete the setting.
Discover your nearest park or playground with our easy online search tool on the Auckland Council website.
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