Wainoni Park Playground

Wainoni Park's playground covers both ends of the age range in one spread-out space: swings, a slide and a small multi-play for toddlers, plus a climbing net and flying fox for school-age kids. It sits on the Hampshire Street edge of this big eastern Christchurch park, a short walk from Aranui's small Hampshire Street shopping strip.¹ Despite the name, the park is in Aranui rather than Wainoni; wai means stream and noni a bend.²

Equipment

The council asset register lists swings with a baby seat, a slide, a seesaw, climbing equipment and a flying fox. One Google reviewer rates the slide, swings and multi-play structure for one to three year olds, and the climbing net and small flying fox for five to seven year olds. From the air the play space is a wide, irregular patch of soft surfacing edged with rock-lined garden beds, with a yellow-slide play structure on the north side, a smaller slide unit to the south, boulders and logs scattered between, and a picnic table in the middle. A basketball half court sits just to the north.

History and Cultural

Next door is the Aranui Wainoni Community Centre, which opened in May 2016 as the first community centre the council rebuilt from scratch after the Canterbury earthquakes.³ Aranui Library is across the park on Aldershot Street.⁴ The park is a regular venue for local events: the 3v3 Hoopz streetball series has run its Aranui qualifier here, the Aranui Community Trust has held after-school tag sessions for 5 to 12 year olds, and the AFFIRM family festival has been held on the park.⁵

Practical Info

Big trees shade the northern and eastern edges of the play area; the middle is open to the sun. No fence shows between the playground and Hampshire Street, just a strip of grass and trees, so keep an eye on runners. There is a car park beside the community centre. Reviews are mixed: one visitor found it quiet with something different for the kids to try, while two others mention fires being lit in the park and one complains of tagging, so have a look around when you arrive. McHaffies Reserve is about 500 m away for a second stop.