The Story

Caroline Bay and its surrounding region have a rich and notorious history spanning millions of years. It all began with the reef under the sea, which formed from a lava flow extending from Timaru inland to the shore.

When humans began to explore these lands, the Te Tihi-o-Maru region transformed into a gathering place. Early Maori groups like Waitaha, Rapuwai, and Kati Mamoe would collect food from Waitarakao (Washdyke Lagoon) and head to the West Coast to gather pounamu. Today, Arowhenua is the local marae.

With the arrival of Europeans, Timaru transitioned from a whaling spot to a hub for South Canterbury. The shallow reefs, however, were treacherous. Many ships found themselves wrecked or stranded along the Caroline Bay coastline. This led to the establishment of the Timaru Volunteer Rocket Brigade, whose goal was to rescue passengers and crews from ships that met misfortune on the reef.

These historical episodes are now vividly told at the new CPlay playground, capturing everything from its geological foundations to the local Maori heritage and the European arrivals.

Read the full story at CPlay.

Solution
Creo partnered with the council to deliver an innovative design, presenting a fresh perspective on playgrounds. The design considerations included:

• A custom-built tower as a centrepiece, complemented by a slide.
• A scooter track, ensuring easy access for all.
• Distinctive play elements like log jams and Robinia swings, all custom-built by Creo’s team.

The space was envisioned as a hub for living music, capturing the essence of community gathering. Emphasising inclusivity, the playground was designed to be welcoming for both grandparents and their grandchildren.

It also featured two open spaces dedicated to unprescribed play, ensuring ample room for imaginative activities.

Featuring Locally Crafted Equipment

Creo’s commitment to quality and authenticity extended to crafting the playground’s equipment in our workshop. This hands-on approach ensured that every element, from the logo in the rubber surfacing to the play equipment, was perfectly aligned with the community’s identity.

Local Culture Representation

The implementation of the local culture is vital for the playground. We designed and built a Marae tower and a waka for the children. Inclusivity was also considered when designing the play space at Whitikau Reserve Playground. Th et-pour rubber surfacing is fully accessible, and the waka has space for children of all abilities to play.

To create better connections and easy access to the playground, Creo created some new pathways to define the area. These new paths were also transformed into an additional play opportunity by creating humps that could be utilised as obstacles for a scooter track, encouraging kids to think outside the box, get creative with their play, and inspire them to stay active. By being creative with the design and layout of the playground, Creo was able to make the budget go as far as possible while still providing a fun and engaging space for the community.  

The playground near the community centre had an existing basketball court and a small play space. The Creo design team decided to build upon the existing space by adding new features, equipment pieces, and playful elements that could serve the needs of the community using the space. Creo transformed the space by including hang-out areas off to the side of the space, ground painting sports marks, and a basketball court, making the playground an ideal spot for kids of all ages to enjoy. 

There are a number of play opportunities in this playground including the inground tramp and basket swing, scooter tracks, and other engaging play equipment pieces. These elements provide a unique play experience for kids and are easily accessible and complement each other in the space. The rubber surface ensures that the playground is safe and easy to navigate. Clear access pathways were included in the space to provide easier entry into the play space, as well as create additional play opportunities by doubling as a bike or scooter track for younger kids. 

Creo began working with the community a few years ago, creating a master plan of the space for them to reference when installing equipment and developing the area.  

With a range of activities planned for the park, the project was broken down into various stages. The first of which featured a dog park and bike track which the team at Creo planned and the community members installed and put together.  

From there, the group began fundraising and gained the support of the local community to create the new playground. Equipment pieces were sourced and funded from various suppliers, and with the help of the Creo team, each element was pieced into the playground design.