Clarice Place Playground

A basketball half-court and a small playground share a grassy reserve at the end of Clarice Place, a cul-de-sac in Takanini, south Auckland. The Papakura Local Board refurbished the park and reopened it in November 2019, after locals had their say on what their children wanted in the space.¹

Equipment

Aerial imagery shows a compact layout beside the court: a small play tower with a slide, a swing frame and a short zigzag of balance logs, all on one soft-fall pad, with a bench or two around the edge. It suits under-fives and early primary kids looking for a quick run around. Older kids are more likely to head for the hoop, since the half-court is the biggest piece of the reworked park.²

History and Cultural

At the 2019 opening, children helped paint the bollards that keep traffic off the play space in orange and black, the colour theme of the park.¹

Practical Info

There is no fence, but the timber bollards line the street edge and the play area sits back on open lawn. Expect street parking in the cul-de-sac. There is little tree cover near the equipment and no toilet block on the reserve, so it works best as a short neighbourhood stop.

Be prepared for mess. Several Google reviewers describe rubbish, broken glass and beer bottles, household items dumped at the entrance, a swing tied up and something sticky poured down the slide, and one visitor met an unattended dog off its lead. A grandparent who came over from a nearby street still said their granddaughter loved it. If it looks rough on the day, Manuroa Reserve Playground is about 250 metres away, and Takanini Reserve is about 600 metres away.