Mother Nature provides stimulation for child's play

Set within a newly planted reserve with native trees and an ecologically enhanced riparian zone, Yaldhurst Park Nature Playground is designed to connect kids to their natural environment through play. 

You won’t find any boldly coloured, overstimulating playground equipment here, just the gentle tones of mother nature styled in less formal elements of play, encouraging youthful imaginations.

Yaldhurst Park playground in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

“By using natural materials you can integrate better with the landscape, make them look and feel like they belong to that space,” says landscape architect Mark Huxtable, from Glasson Huxtable, which designed the space.

“We were already doing an ecological restoration for the stream adjacent to it so a nature playground was the compatible thing to do.”

The playground services a new subdivision.

The design includes timber logs, boulder play, swings, digger, a mound with slide, tunnel, climbing logs and picnic table.

Attached is a sensory garden surrounded by a ring of Canterbury native trees.

The playground is designed to connect kids to their natural environment through play. 

“Using Canterbury natives (trees) adds educational value so kids grow up knowing what their native trees are. Often in suburbs exotic trees are used because native trees can be difficult streets trees - they like to be in groups.”

Totara, tī kōuka, pokaka, narrow leaved houhere, matai and manatu are among the 12 species embracing the sensory garden.

Glasson Huxtable worked with ecologists from Christchurch City Council and ECAN on the restoration of the stream which runs adjacent to the playground. Over the years it had become choked with weeds.

The playground is within a newly planted reserve.

By creating areas of deeper water, faster moving water and using rocks and plants for shelter from the current, its hoped the numbers of upland bully will increase.

The upland bully is one of the few bullies which spawn and are reared in their resident habitat, and therefore don’t require access to the sea.