Porritt Park

Porritt Park's playground in Thames is a genuine destination, built around a Wakatere ship feature, a lighthouse climbing tower with a tubular slide, hamster wheels and talking tubes, understood to be one of the first playgrounds of this scale built outside a major New Zealand city. Most of the funding came from a local philanthropist couple who wanted a free, accessible play space for the town.

Equipment

The lighthouse tower's tubular slide sits alongside the Wakatere ship, net climbers, an embankment slide, balance logs and a tunnel. A wheelchair-accessible seesaw and carousel, plus hamster wheels and talking tubes, add specialised play options, and swings include both infant and basket seats. Surfacing is a mix of artificial, bark and woodchips.

Access and Inclusion

The wheelchair-accessible seesaw and carousel let children of different abilities play together, and a fenced junior area keeps younger kids separate from busier zones.

Practical Info

Toilets, a barbecue, picnic tables and seating are on site, along with on-street parking; dogs aren't permitted. Shade is limited over the equipment itself, though the tower and slides provide some shade of their own, with a gazebo covering the barbecue area and trees shading some seating. The playground opened in 2024.