101 Glenmore Street, Kelburn, Wellington 6012
Fully fenced play area explicitly noted as 'safer stop for families with younger children'. Dedicated small-kids fenced zone plus 6m honeycomb climbing tower, 3 slides pitched for different ages, flying fox, monkey bars, springers. New rubber safety surfacing throughout. Reviews confirm split zones for small/big kids.
The description states an accessible entrance and firm, level safety surfacing that makes it easier for wheelchairs and prams to move between zones, plus musical panels and sensory play equipment added after the accessibility focused redesign. A photo signal of 16 rubber surface images corroborates the surfacing. No accessible parking is confirmed.
Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā's playground is a honeycomb and bee themed adventure ground, rebuilt in 2023 and 2024 after 22 years, shaped by the community it serves down to a design workshop with pupils from Clifton Terrace Model School. It sits a short downhill walk from the top of the historic Wellington Cable Car, inside a garden that draws around 1.2 million visitors a year.
HistoryWellington Botanic Garden was established in 1868 on a 5.3-hectare site and had grown to 28 hectares by 1871, making it one of New Zealand's oldest botanic gardens; it was formally designated under the Botanic Garden Act 1869. Before European settlement the land was used by Ngāti Te Whiti hapū of Te Āti Awa for growing and gathering food, and in 2019 Taranaki Whānui gifted the name "ki Paekākā" (a kākā perch) to the garden.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCultureA planned second stage of the play area project is developing a māra hūpara ("nature play") space using natural materials and Māori kōrero, to be developed in partnership with mana whenua, extending the playground's storytelling beyond the current renewed play equipment.
Source: letstalk.wellington.govt.nzOn siteThe renewed Botanic Garden play area features a 6m-high climbing tower with honeycomb features and three different slides coming off it for various ages, plus a new double-seated flying fox, monkey bars, a senior timber challenge, two bee springers, a springer seesaw and a carousel, all on new safety surfacing.
Source: wellington.scoop.co.nzAmenitiesThe Botanic Garden ki Paekākā play area renewal added three shade sails over the play equipment as part of the 2023-2024 upgrade.
Source: wellington.govt.nzAccessThe upgraded play area includes accessible features such as varied sensory play equipment, two musical panels, and a basket swing, designed after community feedback specifically asked for the playground to suit children of all ages and abilities.
Source: wellington.scoop.co.nzAccessThe playground sits inside a 25-hectare garden that is reachable on foot from the top of the historic Wellington Cable Car, which has run between Lambton Quay and Kelburn since 1902; from the upper terminus it is roughly a 30-minute walk downhill through the gardens to reach the play area.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHandy to knowWellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā draws around 1.2 million visitors a year, and its play area is one of the busiest in the city; the playground design carries a flora and bee theme that ties in with the Garden's setting and its pollinators.
Source: wellington.scoop.co.nzHandy to knowConstruction on the renewed play area began 16 October 2023 and the site was expected to reopen in February 2024, weather permitting.
Source: wellington.govt.nzLatestWellington City Council delivered a roughly $1m renewal of the Botanic Garden play area in 2023-2024, replacing a design that had served since roughly 2001. The design came from a 2022 community survey that drew 831 responses plus a dedicated workshop with pupils from Clifton Terrace Model School, who contributed ideas and drawings as the project's "local VIPs."
Source: wellington.scoop.co.nzDaytime high in °C · % = chance of rain · data from yr.no
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