Memorial Park is Motueka's big town-centre green, a cricket oval with a small playground tucked into its eastern edge, so kids can climb while older siblings run laps or someone kicks a ball across the field. It fronts Pah Street, right in the middle of town.
Equipment
The playground sits beside the path that runs south from the tennis courts, set apart from the oval. From above you can pick out a yellow climbing frame in the middle, a short slide and a few small single-rider pieces, on what looks like a dark bark surface. Reviewers mention swings for the kids and some fun exercise equipment nearby, so grown-ups can do a circuit while the little ones play. It is a modest set that suits preschoolers and younger school-age kids for a half-hour stop rather than a whole morning.
The oval itself is the bigger draw for active families. A six-lane 400 m running track is marked out on the grass, and a red-surfaced path runs along the field's edge, handy for scooters and learner bikes.
History
The park is jointly owned by Tasman District Council and Wakatū Incorporation, which represents descendants of the original Te Tau Ihu Māori of the area.1 Cricket has been recorded here since a Hawke Cup match in January 1950, and the ground hosted Central Districts against Otago in the 1987/88 Shell Cup.1 The town's cenotaph and memorial hall sit alongside the park.
Practical Info
There are public toilets close by, benches around the field and plenty of street parking along the edge of the park. The play area is not fenced and the oval is wide open, though a low timber rail runs along the street side. Shade is limited to the big trees on the park's edges, so bring hats in summer. Ledger Goodman Park and Thorp Bush Playground are both under a kilometre away if you want a bigger playground afterwards.
