Street to help socialisation
You can find them high, and you can find them low.
With doors for tall and small, they cater to all.
Hobsonville Point’s new bird boxes might look like a Dr Seuss creation, but the special houses on the ‘play street’ in Catalina Precinct are intended as fun for humans and creatures alike.
Isthmus play street project leader Haylea Muir said the bird houses were a ‘‘bit of whimsy’’.
They were also a way of integrating the private realm with the public.
‘‘They’re there to promote connection and that social interaction, particularly because this is a walking route to the primary school,’’ she said.
Tracing a path from Bomb Point to Hobsonville Point Primary School, the play street had different activity zones and was designed around the catchment of water. Residents can play as they move – there’s stepping stones, rain gardens, a talk tube, and also a water play area in the centre.
The bird houses had been added in the past few months.
While those higher up were intended to be used by real birds, those lower down could be used as cubby-like ’’discovery’’ spaces for leaving notes or small toys.
Different-sized openings allow for various species of bird, such as sparrows and starlings.
Colours for the houses related to exotic and native planting in the area.