Wakefield Park

Wakefield Park on Adelaide Road anchors the Berhampore and Island Bay end of the corridor with a lively, varied play area that mixes gentle toddler play with a skatepark for the older crowd, backed by picnic tables, seating, toilets and a drinking fountain nearby.

Equipment

There is plenty to choose from: a basket swing and infant swing for the youngest visitors, a gravel digger and inground carousel for hands on play, a novelty tubular slide and an embankment slide built into the park's natural slope, spring toys, and a balance log for testing coordination. A skatepark sits alongside the playground, giving the park a second act for kids who have outgrown the swings and want somewhere to practise tricks after school.

Access and Inclusion

The playground, officially the Jim Belich Playground, was surfaced with accessibility as a priority. Even PermaTurf and Pour'n'Play surfacing runs between the play elements, letting wheelchairs, prams and unsteady walkers move through the space without hitting a rough patch of bark or gravel, a small detail that makes a real difference for whanau who need it.

History and Cultural

The play area's official name honours Jim Belich, who served as Wellington's mayor from 1986 to 1992, with the playground opened under his name in 2019. It is a quieter piece of civic history tucked into a park that most visitors know simply for its swings and skate ramps rather than its namesake.