No shortage of places to play in Hawke's Bay
Two new playgrounds opened in Napier and Hastings over the weekend are the latest additions to the number of places to play in parks across Hawke’s Bay.
A new basketball court with the freshly upgraded playground at Essex Street Reserve, Tamatea, saw action for the first time on Sunday as Hawks, Tall Ferns, and Tall Blacks players took to dribbling and dunking alongside school-aged players.
Meanwhile, the new Lawrie Cooke Reserve playground in Lyndhurst, Frimley, had a fruity flair to it with the opening of the vibrantly coloured facility.
Retired Hastings nurseryman Lawrie Cooke established fruit tree nursery sites for the orchard industry for nearly 60 years in Lyndhurst and the wider Frimley area, founding L. E. Cooke Nurseryman Ltd.
The Hastings District Council said Cooke died at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers Memorial Hospital, aged 91, on October 15, 2022.
Several generations of the Cooke family along with industry friends and neighbours gathered for the official opening.
Cooke’s daughter Margot said it was bittersweet that while Lawrie had seen some progress on the playground he was not there to see it opened.
“We are delighted and very proud that this reserve bears his name – I’m sure he would have been pleased with how it looks – it’s a great tribute to a true plantsman,” she said.
The playground is fruit-inspired, with a “fruit bin” climbing frame and slide, play tractor, fruit colour scheme, and surfacing.
The playground is the second to be built in Hastings, after the St Aubyn St Reserve playground in March.
Lawrie Cooke Reserve playground will eventually include a mini orchard with trees donated by L.E. Cooke Nurseryman.
The Essex St Reserve court was opened under the Hoops in Parks initiative, with Napier City Council collaborating alongside Basketball New Zealand, Basketball Hawke’s Bay, and Sport Hawke’s Bay.
Alongside it was a freshly upgraded playground sporting new swings, two in-ground trampolines, a carousel, a climbing net and a play fort with slides.
A Napier City Council spokesperson said they had a great turnout at the Essex Street Hoops in Parks launch, with representatives from Basketball NZ, Basketball Hawke’s Bay, Sport Hawke’s Bay, the Hawks, Tall Ferns, and Tall Blacks, plus school-aged players and Wharerangi Kindergarten present.
“Deputy mayor Annette Brosnan and councillor Richard McGrath, the Onekawa-Tamatea ward councillors, officially cut the ribbon. They were both involved with the community engagement during the planning phase for this project,” the spokesperson said.
The Essex St Reserve court is the second Hoops in Parks project opened in Napier this year.