Best playgrounds in Dunedin

Climb any of Dunedin's ridge suburbs and a playground turns up within a street or two, threaded along the Town Belt, the 200 hectare bush crescent that wraps the city from Mornington through Roslyn to the northern suburbs. At Town Belt's Littlebourne end in Roslyn, swings sit right on the treeline, best suited to toddlers and younger primary kids after a walk through the bush. Arthur Street Playground, down in the flatter city rise pocket, is built around a 20 metre flying fox and a slide locals rate steep and fast. Further round the harbour, Musselburgh Rise Park climbs an Andersons Bay hillside with inlet views most neighbourhood plays can't match, and Green Island Memorial Park Playground, out west, is a fenced train themed space chosen for its accessible equipment.

On the Otago Peninsula, Ralph Ham Park in Macandrew Bay pairs a skate ramp and basketball court with swings and climbing gear for toddlers through teens, right opposite the harbour beach. Emerson Park in Concord, on the city's southwestern edge, doubles as a sports ground, with a basket swing rated among the city's more inclusive setups. Hill suburb streets are steep and narrow, so park where the road flattens and expect a short climb on foot. The same ridge that shelters Town Belt's bush tracks also blocks the worst of the southerly, though a windbreaker still earns its keep anywhere near the harbour edge.