Located on the edge of the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland’s east, Tuwakamana/Cockle Bay is an established, family-friendly beachside suburb of approximately 1500 households. Citycare Property’s capital projects team was recently tasked with refurbishing the playground within Cockle Bay Reserve.
The planned works included the integration of existing play elements with new elements, as well as upgrades to cushion fall surfaces, the existing picnic tables, and pathways — all designed to improve accessibility.
The newly refurbished playground features a cockle shell motif and a bright, inviting colour scheme.
Drawing inspiration from the surroundings
Boasting bold, primary colours, the design was based around the cockle shell, with examples found in the wet pour rubberised surfacing and in paved elements incorporated into the new pathway. Artist Reuben Kirkwood (Ngai Tai ki Tamaki) contributed Māori cultural designs, which have been integrated into the natural play elements. Similarly, a kete basketweave pattern has been embossed onto the new pathway surface and a number of native bird sculptures, carved out of Corten steel, are dotted around the playground.
A key element to the refurbishment was sustainability, with the team repurposing or recycling existing elements and play equipment into the project wherever possible. This included the reuse of existing cushion fall material, which was able to be spread onsite forming tree rings and areas to be planted out in the nature play zone.
As well as areas of man-made play equipment, a number of natural elements have been incorporated into the playground to encourage children to climb and walk along them.
The core driver was to improve the overall accessibility of the playground and surrounding picnic area. As well as the inclusion of accessible play equipment, the existing picnic sets have been upgraded to an accessible grade — with a larger concrete pad and change in orientation to allow better visibility of activities taking place on the playground.
Marcel Morgan, Auckland Council Area Operations Manager, says good design was integral to the success of this project.
“It’s great to see local children in East Auckland enjoying their newly revamped playground.
“This was a priority project for the Howick Local Board who championed the playground renewal, ensuring the design incorporated a broad range of play outcomes and specialised play provision for both the community and visitors to Tuwakamana/Cockle Bay.”
Not just a day at the beach...
The team faced a couple of challenges with the project, the most impactful being that, as per the initial design, in order to provide the upgraded facilities within the allocated footprint, underground services would have been negatively impacted. The solution was a reworking of the design incorporating floating foundations wherever possible to minimise the risk of damage to services, while maximising the play environment.
Alongside the references to cockles, there are a number of Māori designs, including an embossed kete basketweave pattern in the new pathway.
Citycare Property Project Manager, Nick Wilshire says: “The final result is a great addition to the community and it has been hugely rewarding to hear the positive feedback and to see the public’s enjoyment of the new space.”