The Ground
A narrow footprint and a sloping site made the design and construction of Cockle Bay School’s Middle Playground and Nature Trail a challenging project for our Playground Creations team, but everyone involved rose to the challenge.

Situated between Botany Downs and Howick, this coastal environment provided real inspiration to our design team, with a play boat becoming a central connecting feature of the school’s new playground.

Nature had also been at the fore of our earlier design of Cockle Bay’s Junior Playground, so this too came through in our latest creation for the school.

The Creation
Cockle Bay School wanted its latest playground to suit students aged seven and eight years. This meant the equipment needed to be both varied and challenging. A Tuna Balance, Stacker and Stepping Logs, Inground Trampoline, and a 1.8m high Double Scale Wall were just some of the pieces included in our design.

These were paired with 1.8m high Double Balance Ropes, Jungle Slalom Ropes, a Slide Pole, Ladder Climber, Rock Wall, and Hand Toe Wall – all designed to improve upper body strength, coordination, confidence, and strength.

A Wobbly Log Bridge, Olympic and Gladiator Rings, 3-metre-long Wheel Trek and 3-metre-long Track Glide added to the challenges on offer.

The Play
The middle playground is flush with Cockle Bay’s school field, allowing children to enjoy varied play on both the field and the newly designed play space. Artificial Turf surfacing ensures access for wheelchairs or those less able to step over the site’s natural timber edging.

An added element to Cockle Bay’s middle playground is the Nature Trail, an underutilised area the school wanted to transform into a more natural space for learning and play. Our team recycled timber from the old playground into timber bridges and hoggin paths that weave throughout the trail. An amphitheatre for classrooms to use during the day for reading groups also enables students to enjoy general learning time outdoors, while a fairy house placed at the foot of a tree sparks imagination.

Tamariki can now experience the magic of play on a sympathetically-designed playground that captures the school’s unique coastal and native environment.