Earnslaw Park

Earnslaw Park is a compact neighbourhood playground in Clover Park, Auckland, set in a wedge of lawn between Aspiring Avenue and Earnslaw Crescent. It was rebuilt in 2022, and the outdoor fitness pad beside the play area means parents can get a workout in while the kids climb.¹

Equipment

The Howick Local Board's renewal brought new play equipment, a rubberised cushion-fall surface, shade sails, fitness equipment and seating.¹ Aerial imagery shows how it fits together: a paved hexagon holding one multi-play unit with two green slides, a ladder and a rope climbing net, a separate swing frame, and two lime-green shade sails stretched over the play zones. The fitness stations sit on their own blue rubber pad at the north end, and one regular singles out the calisthenics machines and says the park is always kept in top shape.

It is a single mid-sized unit rather than separate toddler and big-kid zones, so it suits preschoolers with a hand on the climbing parts through to primary-school kids.

Practical Info

The play area is not fenced, but it sits well back from both streets in the middle of open grass. Paths come in from Aspiring Avenue, the busier road along the north-west side behind a tall retaining wall, and from Earnslaw Crescent, where you can park on the street. Two picnic tables stand on the lawn west of the playground and benches line the paths, the seating one reviewer singles out. Apart from the sails there is little tree shade, and there are no toilets.

The big flat field is the other draw for a kick-around, and its drainage was part of the same upgrade.¹ Mathews Park is a few minutes' walk away if the kids want a second stop.