New Zealand’s Top Three Playgrounds Revealed

Three of New Zealand’s most beloved playgrounds have been named finalists in Trade Me Property’s People’s Choicest Awards* – a chance to celebrate everyday life in New Zealand.

[Drumroll] and the finalists are:

• Margaret Mahy Playground in Christchurch

• C-Play Playground in Timaru

• Kowhai Park Playground in Whanganui

Voting opens today, and runs until 14 February. Votes can be made at https://www.trademe.co.nz/c/promo/peoples-choicest-voting.

Margaret Mahy Playground, Christchurch

Opened in 2015, the Margaret Mahy Playground has been nominated for its wide variety of play options catering to children of all ages. The playground offers everything from water cannons and sprinklers and a sandpit to multi-story climbing zones, slides, spinning carousels, flying foxes, and nature-themed areas. It also provides plenty of shade and relaxation spots.

This $20 million government-funded, post-quake playground was designed with input from local children and is inspired by Canterbury's four main habitats. The Forest Zone features a flying fox and an agility play area, while the Wetlands Zone offers a water play area. The Plains Zone includes a lawn and gathering space, and the Peninsula Zone is home to slides, in-ground trampolines, and swings.

Standout features include a super-wide slide and a pair of racing flying foxes. The playground isn’t just for kids—its large scale and sturdy design invite parents to join in the fun. One fan even called it "the best place to go after a night out in town because it’s lit up at night." As one person put it, "Who doesn’t love bouncing on trampolines drunk?"

C-Play Playground, Timaru

Caroline Bay in Timaru is home to our second finalist, C-Play Playground—an expansive park that impresses with its sheer scale. This brand-new, $3 million community-funded playground is believed to be the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. With over 40 pieces of play equipment, it caters to a wide range of ages, abilities, and sizes.

Located just a stone’s throw from the beach, C-Play embraces a nautical theme, featuring an impressive shipwreck structure and a 10-metre-tall lighthouse with two giant tube slides.

Older children can challenge themselves with a "Floor is Lava" obstacle course, a rock-climbing wall, and a scramble net. Younger visitors can enjoy a four-metre-long waka-shaped seesaw, a whare playhouse, and miniature train rides.

A standout feature is the 50-metre, sea-rescue-themed Double Flying Fox, perfect for racing. In addition to all the play equipment, the park also offers a paddling pool, skate park, bike skills track, and tennis and basketball courts.

Kowhai Park Playground, Whanganui

The third finalist is a classic riverside park that, while a little paint-chipped, is adored by kids.

Built in the 1950s, Kowhai Park Playground is nothing if not nostalgic. As one visitor recalls, "My parents took my siblings and me there, then I took my children, and now we bring our grandchildren."

The park features historic, one-of-a-kind play equipment inspired by timeless nursery rhymes. There's a giant concrete boot from The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, a pre-tumble Humpty Dumpty, Miss Muffet, and even Fred Flintstone. It’s a fantastical experience: slide down a dinosaur's back, step inside a whale’s gaping mouth, or swing from massive concrete octopus tentacles.

Kids can enjoy water play fountains, explore a concrete mountain with tunnels, sail on a pirate ship, ride a merry-go-round, or blast off in a rocket ship to the moon. Imagination reigns here, with a castle complete with a moat, towers, and a slide from top to bottom. There’s also a huge adventure fort nestled among the trees, featuring a flying fox.

* The Trade Me Property People’s Choicest Awards has seven categories: Choicest Suburb, Playground, Bush (shrub or tree), Dairy, Public Toilet, Landmark and Local Legend. The finalists were chosen from public nominations which closed on December 29th.

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