King Edward Park

King Edward Park's playground leans into storybook themes: a bronze Wendy statue, the companion piece to the Peter Pan statue in London's Kensington Gardens, stands near a Lions Club pirate ship and tree fort and a 150 year old naval cannon that's long been a favourite climbing feature. It's tucked inside South Taranaki's premier park, a formal reserve of grassed avenues, rose gardens and a boating lake, rather than a standalone play space.

Equipment

Modern equipment nearby suits toddlers and younger children: swings with an infant seat, a basket swing, a see-saw and a multi-play structure with a slide. The play surface is bark.

Access and Inclusion

An accessible entrance into the park lets wheelchair and pushchair users move through easily, and the wider park is wheelchair friendly throughout. Free parking runs along High Street, Waihi Road and Camberwell Road, plus a car park at the Stan Lay entrance, with further entrances opening onto Waihi Road by the lake, High Street next to the playground, and the Memorial Gates at Camberwell Road.

History and Cultural

Set aside as a reserve in 1875, the grounds formally opened as King Edward Park on 26 June 1902 to mark the coronation of King Edward VII; two oak trees planted at that opening still stand. The boating lake, built between 1912 and 1914, still hosts an annual scale model ships regatta over Labour weekend. The former band rotunda and tea kiosk now serve as Hawera's observatory and Park Museum, and the New Zealand Garden Trust rates the park five stars as a Garden of National Significance.

Practical Info

Dogs are welcome provided they stay on leads and off the playground surfaces. Picnickers get a free barbecue with three BBQ tables, toilets and tennis courts nearby, and the park is a five minute walk from central Hawera, next to the TSB Hub and Hawera Aquatic Centre, with Hawera Holiday Park on its doorstep. Tree cover over the equipment is limited at midday, though mature trees elsewhere offer a cooler spot to watch from.