Best playgrounds in Waitaki

Gears and pipes replace the usual fort and slide at Friendly Bay Steampunk Playground, where swings become a penny farthing and towers become an armoured elephant, backed by a flying fox, climbing frames, a bike track, toilets and parking right on the harbour front. A few metres over in the same reserve, Waitaki Bike Skills Park adds a learn to ride loop alongside standard play gear, the pick once a kid has outgrown swings and wants two wheels instead.

Both plays sit inside Friendly Bay by Oamaru's historic precinct, so one stop covers swings, climbing and a bike lesson without moving the car. Wrap a cold southerly day around the steampunk theme in the heritage precinct's cafes and shops rather than fighting the wind on the harbour green.