Whangateau Reserve

Whangateau Reserve puts a small playground right on the edge of the Whangateau Harbour, with the slide and swings looking across the water to Omaha. It is the main open space of Whangateau, 7.5 km past Matakana on the road to Leigh and Goat Island in the Auckland region,¹ and families stop as much for the high tide swim as for the play equipment.

Equipment

The play area sits at the harbour end of the car park on loose chip. The main unit is a timber post fort with a yellow tube slide, a chain net climb, a raised bridge with red rails and climbing bars on top, best suited to roughly four to ten year olds. A separate blue frame holds the swings, and a bench faces the fort. It is older, modest equipment rather than a destination build, with no toddler area, so under threes will want a hand on the platforms.

Practical Info

The playground is unfenced, with the car park on one side and the beach on the other, so keep runners in sight. Shade comes only from a few pōhutukawa along the shore. Toilets are a short walk back across the car park and reviewers often mention how clean they are, a real plus on a coast drive with small children. Parking is plentiful, there is a hard court, a bush walk and a boat ramp usable at high tide,¹ and visitors mention an electric barbecue, though one notes there is only a single picnic table.

Time your visit to the tide. When it is in, the harbour fills into a calm, shallow, clear pool that parents rate highly for children, with snorkelling out toward the mangroves. It drains fast, leaving sand and mud flats. The name Whāngateau refers to the harbour's strong tidal currents.² A Ngāti Manuhiri rāhui, listed as current, bans taking cockles or pipi from the harbour.³

History and Cultural

The flat beside the water, Whangateau Domain, shows evidence of seasonal Māori occupation from the mid 1400s. Whangateau Hall opened on the domain in 1902 and housed American soldiers in the Second World War, and the fields behind the playground are home ground for the Rodney Rams rugby league club.⁴

Whangateau Holiday Park next door has its own adventure playground for guests,¹ and Point Wells Playground is about 1.2 km away.