Pocket park makes big hit

Ten-year-old Elise Pickford found a treasure at the opening

A colourful pocket-sized park attracted a pocket-sized audience for its informal opening.

The park, sandwiched between two businesses on Port Rd in Whangarei, links Okara Shopping Centre with the Hatea Loop.

While yesterday morning's opening was a quiet affair, as the day grew so did the number of visitors when hundreds of weekend walkers, children on bikes, trikes and scooters and pet pooches on leads made the popular riverside walk.

Ruth Baxter, left and Cath Bartlett, right whose husband was the site's first occupier with his boatbuilding business. Photo/John Stone

Photographer John Stone stopped by.