Project: Pacific Park Playground
Client: Tauranga City Council

The Ground
Nestled in the scenic coastal town of Mount Maunganui, Pacific Park Playground offers fun for everyone. Located to the northeast of Tauranga City, the site provided the perfect canvas for our team to create a vibrant and inclusive play space for children and their caregivers.

The previous playground had reached the end of its life, but the flat terrain, complemented by an existing tree, provided our design team with an environment to create a play space that would cater to a wide range of ages and abilities.

The park upgrade also included new pathways connecting Matavai Street with Bedford Place, a drinking fountain, improved seating, shaded areas, and a wheels track, making it a welcoming and accessible community space.

The Creation
The centrepiece of the playground is an accessible mountain, or maunga, which features a range of activities, including a wide slide, climbing ropes, and balancing rocks. Close by is a small crawl-through mound, making it a space for adventure, discovery, and social connection.

Inclusive features were a priority, with equipment such as an accessible seesaw, wheelchair-accessible carousel, sensory-focused sandpit and wheels track. The safety surfacing allows easy access to all play elements, ensuring a seamless experience for visitors of all abilities.

Additional highlights include a triple bay swing set,  a pendulum basket swing, and a  a large sandpit equipped with sand shovels, diggers, tables, and talking tubes to encourage social and creative play. For climbers, activity nets link to a tower with a rope bridge and a slide, offering thrilling views from the top.  

The Play
Pacific Park Playground is a haven of exploration and enjoyment. From scaling the accessible maunga to swinging with friends on the pendulum basket swing, there’s something for tamariki of all ages and abilities. Smaller children can delight in the crawl-through mounds and half-spheres, while older adventurers can test their skills on the climbing ropes and bridges.

Sensory play elements, like the sandpit with talking tubes, provide creative and tactile experiences for all. Each feature is thoughtfully designed to promote inclusion, fun, and a connection to the environment, bringing joy to every visitor.