Pembroke Park

Equipment

Pembroke Park playground sits within a large 10.5-hectare lakeside reserve at the heart of Wanaka's waterfront. The playground features a broad mix of equipment including swings (with infant swings), slides, a multi-play climbing structure, basket swing, balance logs, see-saw, climbing ropes, musical play elements, rope swing, and climbing nets. An adjacent skate park provides additional recreation for older children and teens. The park is also the site of the annual Wanaka Show and a popular weekly farmers' market, and its open fields are widely used for informal sport and picnics.

Access and Inclusion

Public parking is available on Brownston Street and Dungarvon Street. Flat, grassed open space throughout the reserve is generally accessible for prams and wheelchairs. Public toilets are located on site. The playground surface is bark chip. On-street angle parking is also available on Ardmore Street.

History and Cultural

Pembroke Park occupies an ancient beach terrace formed when Lake Wanaka extended further east after the last glacial period, around 15,000 years ago. The area was surveyed and named Pembroke in 1863 when the township was first established. In 1940 the town was renamed Wanaka to better associate it with the lake, but the park was renamed Pembroke Park in 1971 following a public naming competition, after the Lake County Council took over the reserve from the Electricity Department. Friends of Pembroke Park, formed in 1996, have played a significant role in the park's ongoing development and protection.

Practical Info

Free entry, open at all times. Public toilets on site. Parking on Brownston and Dungarvon Streets. The park is centrally located in Wanaka, a short walk from Ardmore Street shops and cafes. Queenstown Lakes District Council has a smokefree policy covering this playground.