Brighton Reserve is the grassy rise at the northern end of Waihī Beach, where the playground, a full basketball court and the toilet block sit a short dune path from the surf. It is less a destination playground than a beach-day base in the Western Bay of Plenty: kids play on the sand-based equipment while the adults watch the waves roll in with Mayor Island on the horizon.
Equipment
For years the reserve was known for its painted castle, which a local accommodation guide sums up as "a fun castle and swings with a view".1 Photos from August 2023 show that castle, complete with a dragon mural, alongside spring riders and a mound with a tunnel through it. A February 2024 photo shows a reworked play space on sand, with a metal slide, a raised play unit and a spring rider, and one Google reviewer mentions the old playground being removed. Aerial imagery shows the new layout as an irregular sand area around a central climbing unit, with what looks like a separate sand pad for the swings.
Reviewers call it a nice little playground for small children, which is a fair read: it suits toddlers and primary-age kids, while older ones have the court and the open lawn, which one parent warns is a bit hilly and uneven in places.
Practical Info
The toilet block beside the playground has outdoor cold showers for rinsing off sand, and there is a drinking fountain, bins and picnic tables.2 Reviewers mention stainless barbecues, two of them under cover, though at least one has been out of order on a visit. The loop car park off Brighton Road fills early in summer, yet regulars say it stays quieter than the main beach parking. The play area is not fenced, but it sits well back from Brighton Road behind the lawn.
Five parallel bays beside the playground are a council freedom camping site for self-contained vehicles, closed from the third weekend of December to 10 February,2 so expect campervans next to the swings for much of the year. The court gets real use too: in April 2025 the reserve hosted the Parafed Bay of Plenty basketball and sport whānau fun day.3
The village shops are about 2 km south. Pohutukawa Park is around 550 m away, and in high season Seaforth Rd Rec Reserve has a coffee cart near its swings.1
