Whakatāne District Council contractors and staff have been busy making the most of the settled weather to plan for an upgrade many of the District’s best places to exercise, relax and play.
Whakatāne and Ōhope playgrounds including Maraetōtara Reserve, Mahy Reserve and The Glebe in Coastlands have each been given a spruce-up, including painting and replacement of selected components. Safety surfacing of the Ocean Playground was also repaired at River Edge Park.
Maraetōtara Reserve Playground, Ōhope
Edgecumbe has also benefited from a number of improvements as part of the town’s revitalisation programme.
Riverslea Park is undergoing a two-stage makeover, with the first stage completed in late November 2019. This involved installing a new 2.5m wide walkway from Rata Ave to the Edgecumbe Library and Shopping Centre carpark. Stage two, which is scheduled for March 2020, will see the playground area improved and has been made possible through external funding of $112,000 from The Lion Foundation.
Edgecumbe’s Tūī Playground on Puriri Crescent playground has had a significant lift in its play equipment, and the addition of a ‘Cube and Climb’ structure.
Tūī Playground on Puriri Crescent, Edgecumbe
Construction of Papa Taonga Reserve on College Road, the location of the 2017 Rangitāiki River stop bank breach, was completed in early December 2019, with an official opening held on Saturday, 21 December 2019. Ownership of the land will be retained by Bay of Plenty Regional Council, with management of the reserve being transferred to Whakatāne District Council.
Some of the District’s public toilets and camping spots have also received some well-earned TLC thanks to the Council securing $169,000 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund. The grant goes towards the cost of upgrading three public toilets in Ōhope, and improvements to the overnight camping facility at the Ōhope boat ramp. A further grant of $34,000 was approved towards the operational costs associated with these facilities for a period of two years.
Stage two of the Ngā Tapuwae o Toi Walkway upgrade project has also been completed. This year’s programme included upgrading approximately 700m of track section from Kapu Te Rangi to Ōtarawairere Bay. Work involved constructing staircases in difficult terrain areas, re-establishing barriers, improving water management off the track, and shaping and metaling track surfaces. The walkway improvements build on the 800m section completed in the previous year.
Two picnic tables have also been installed at the Matatā Beach carpark following the extension and upgrade of the carpark fencing in August 2019.
Whakatāne District Council General Manager Community Services Mike Naude says he is pleased to see a number of these projects completed, and is grateful for the external funding that has made some of these projects possible.
"We are fortunate to have a large network of parks, playgrounds and reserves across the District for everyone to enjoy," he says. "We are constantly working through a maintenance and improvement schedule, and it’s great to see some of the larger projects underway and completed."