Parana Park to become toddler friendly

Work on a major upgrade of the Parana Park children's play area on Memorial Drive begins this month, and will include installation of a new water feature for toddlers.

The park's new look is designed with pre-school children in mind and will be the first of its kind in Hamilton.

City council acting parks and gardens manager Sally Sheedy says the upgrade is possible through a significant grant from Potter Masonic Trust. The project will be a much-needed refurbishment of an ageing play area which remains popular with families with young children.

Miss Sheedy says the play area dates back to 1960s, so an upgrade is vital to ensure it meets the needs of the families of today.

The water feature upgrade will see it extended and the water pump and filtration system replaced. The refurbished facility will also have a strong kowhai theme, with a kowhai leaf-shaped viewing platform looking over the Waikato River, a kowhai seed-shaped 300-jet fountain and a slide shaped like a kowhai flower.

Other features of the upgraded park include paths with varying surfaces and obstacles, tui chick and egg interactive sculptures, a small amphitheatre and a playhouse.

The work on the park will require the closure of the play area, and is timed to take advantage of expected settled weather in February and March.

"We realise this closure will inconvenience some park users, and we apologise for that. We are scheduling an opening event for April, so we need to start work on February 15," Miss Sheedy says.

The upgrade is expected to take between six and 10 weeks, depending on the weather.