Tongariro Domain Playground upgrade

New Tongariro Playground is a go!

21 OCTOBER 2021

It's a wrap folks! Work on the Tongariro Domain playground upgrade that began in June 2021 is now complete – and tamariki from our Taupō schools have been putting it through its paces this week.

The playground redevelopment was included in the 2018-2028 Long-term Plan and further funding was secured from a private/public partnership between council and the 100% Great Lake Charitable Trust, Contact Energy, and Towncentre Taupō. The upgrade was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, and Mayor David Trewavas said it was great to see the new Warrior Mountains Playground - Te Papa Tākaro o Ngā Maunga Toa welcoming the wider community from Friday 22 October.

Read the full story

Past updates

AUGUST 9, 2021: Playground work progressing at pace

Work on the Tongariro South Domain playground is progressing at pace, with the representations of our mountains and waterways taking shape and starting to tell the story of our district.

Project manager Travis Delich, seen here with the excavated water feature, said that after the delays caused by Covid-19 restrictions it was exciting to see the playground progressing so well. “It’s great to see our designs becoming real,” Mr Delich said, “and we really want to thank 100% Great Lake Charitable Trust, Contact Energy, and Towncentre Taupō for working with council to help fund this. “We also want to thank our contractors Fluhler and Bespoke for sharing our passion for this project.

They are putting in some fantastic work, a lot of which has to be really exacting and done in all kinds of weather. It's going to look great and we’re looking forward to seeing our tamariki putting the new playground through its paces once it’s completed in spring.”

JUNE 11, 2021: Tongariro Playground upgrade about to get underway

It's a big thumbs up for the Tongariro South Playground upgrade from local primary school students.

The upgrade begins on June 18, 2021 and was launched with a blessing conducted by Reverend Peace and attended by Deputy Mayor Christine Rankin, councillors and council staff, representatives of the project’s designers, contractors, and supporters, as well as students from Taupō Primary.

Read the full story.

Project background

Work started on the upgrade of the playground on Tongariro Domain in June 2021. The playground redevelopment was included in the 2018-2028 Long-term Plan and further funding was secured from the community to redevelop and create a more engaging playground for our children.

The project has been made possible through a private/public funding partnership between council and the 100% Great Lake Charitable Trust, Contact Energy, and Towncentre Taupō. It was originally scheduled for completion in 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

We worked with Bespoke landscape architects to come up with a design for the new playground utilising feedback from the community. The aim was to create a playground that can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages and abilities by improving accessibility, including some challenging elements, and promoting free and inclusive play between parents and children.