Best playgrounds in Tasman

The swing at Wakefield Playground on Genia Drive was the region's first two-seater built so a parent and a toddler can face each other as they go, and there is a flying fox alongside it, which is why families from Richmond will make the fifteen-minute run out to this little inland village on a fine morning. From there the map spreads north to the coast and south into the foothills, and most weekend plans start by picking a direction.

Mapua Playground puts you in the middle of the wharf village, fenced and shaded on Aranui Road with a novelty tubular slide, a small carousel, swings with an infant seat and toilets on site. It pairs naturally with the ferry across to Rabbit Island, which runs from late September to the end of May, so an early play here can roll into a whole beach day. Further along the coast, Decks Reserve in central Motueka sits beside a set of Japanese gardens and open sports fields, with parking, picnic tables and room for a big-kid slide session while smaller siblings potter. Tasman Memorial Recreation Reserve on Rush Lane covers the shoreline stop between the two, with a fenced junior area, a fort structure and a bike track close to the Tasman Bay edge.

Richmond carries the everyday plays. Easby Park doubles as the gateway to the Kingsland Forest and Richmond Hills walking and biking network, so it works as a warm-up before or a wind-down after a ride. Oxford Street Playground is the toddler-friendly pick, a bark-surfaced multi-play with an infant swing seat and bowl rockers a block from the town centre. Inland, Tapawera Playground rolls a skatepark and a big grassy run-around in with the standard climbing frame and swings, which makes it the natural stop on the drive down the Motueka Valley.

This is the sunniest corner of the country, so the play season runs long. Coastal carparks at Kaiteriteri fill early on summer mornings, and the fenced village plays at Mapua and Wakefield are the easy default when you want shade and a cafe within a block.