Waterford Reserve Playground

Waterford Reserve's playground in Northwood, on Christchurch's northern edge, is one long chain of towers and timber decks joined by swing bridges, monkey bars and an overhead flying fox. It sits back from Northwood Boulevard in a green reserve with a planted waterway and a stormwater pond behind it.

Equipment

The council's equipment register breaks the structure down into nine climbing walls, a climbing net, two sets of monkey bars, two swing bridges, three tunnels, two fireman's poles, a bead panel and two slides.¹ The standout is a Track Glyde, an overhead flying fox that runs out from a raised timber landing platform,¹ and it is what a Google reviewer picked out, along with the baby swings. There are two swing sets, one carrying a pair of infant seats.¹ Photos also show a peaked roof over one tower, a clear bubble window, ring ladders, spiral climbers and a green slide.

Most of the structure has a 2 metre fall height in the register,¹ so it suits school-age kids best. Under-fives will want the low decks, the chunky yellow step climber and the baby swings, with an adult close by on the higher sections.

History and Cultural

Northwood was laid out from 2000 on land that had been apple orchards,² and the register dates this play structure to late 2010, with its roof added early in 2011.¹ The timber decks have weathered to grey, but a reviewer this year still called it a solid park.

Practical Info

The ground is loose bark chip, worn thin to the gravel base in a few spots, so this is not a wheelchair or buggy friendly surface. The play area is not fenced, though it sits well inside the reserve rather than on a road edge. There is a bench beside the bark, open lawn for a ball game and a path that loops past the pond. Trees ring the reserve but the play area itself is in the open, so pack sunhats in summer. On-street parking bays run along the road on the reserve's eastern side. Englefield Reserve Playground is about 400 metres away for a second stop.