Hayman Park Playground - Stage Two Officially Opens — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

Stage Two of the Hayman Park Playground was officially opened on the 21st of July during a dawn ceremony led by mana whenua. The design for the vibrant destination playground was by Wraight Athfield Landscape + Architecture (WALA) and supports and celebrates Manukau’s growing community. The playground was delivered by Eke Panuku as part of a long-term growth strategy to improve Manukau’s urban environment and invest in positive facilities in south Auckland.

Hayman Playground - Design. Credit: Wraight Athfield Landscape + Architecture

The playground is located on the eastern edge of Hayman Park, a short walk to the train station, MIT campus, and Manukau’s shopping district. Conceived with respect to the overall evolution of the 10Ha Hayman Park, the 0.67Ha playground was delivered in two stages, with Stage 1 completed in 2019. Stage 1 works featured children’s play areas, including early-childhood and natural play, a basketball half court, and a multi-purpose kiosk that includes public toilets and a small lettable tenancy beneath by a large sculptural canopy.

Aerial - Hayman Playground. Credit: Eke Panuku

Stage 2 works created a new flow bowl and pump track, which provides an integrated wheel-focussed play facility in combination with the existing skatepark. These new topographies accommodate users across different levels, allowing younger children and less experienced riders to build confidence safety. Flying foxes, accessible play, and an extension of natural play and rope equipment beneath the mature eucalyptus trees are included, along with an additional half court along Davies Ave due to the popularity of the Stage 1 court. The careful configuration of new play equipment, structures, furniture and paving around the roots of the existing trees was a challenging aspect of the design and construction, which required extensive collaboration with the project arborist. The mature trees were immediately identified as a critical point of difference for the playground and provide a unique scale and atmosphere to the place, as well as welcome shade and shelter.

The Tower - Hayman Playground. Credit: Eke Panuku

In response to the scale of the trees, as well as the viewshaft along Amersham Way from the Manukau town centre, a bespoke three-level mass-timber, play tower sits at the heart of playground and provides a truly landmark feature. At 12.9 metres tall, it is the tallest play tower in Aotearoa and offers a multitude of features including climbing walls, rope bridges, tunnels, and slides, integrated across all levels. Despite the scale, the tower is toddler-friendly with all-inclusive games, and accessible, generous stairs to help caregivers assist children as they move between levels.

Swings at Hayman Playground. Credit: Eke Panuku

The tower sits amongst a bold rubber terrain, which integrates design from Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua artist, Amiria Puia-Taylor. Her composition of flower graphics, both native and species important to the Pasifika communities of Manukau, were carefully curated amongst the various pieces of play equipment. Her work was also integrated more subtly into the concrete halfcourt bleachers, where multi-lingual versions of ‘play’ have been sandblasted into the surface. These designs celebrate Manukau’s diverse cultural identity, helping to create a space that is unique to the neighbourhood and its people.