Play trail in Whanganui set to go after testing by tamariki

The marble run on Drews Ave is one of the stops on the trail. Photo / Supplied

A new 18-stop play trail is up and running in central Whanganui.

It takes in much of the CBD, starting at the Bearing sculpture (silver ball) next to the Whanganui River.

Co-lead on the project was Whanganui District Council's community activator Harriet McKenzie, who said the idea emerged last year.

"We had been holding lots of workshops to understand play in Whanganui.

"One of the key themes that emerged after talking to parents and tamariki was that it wasn't necessarily about having more infrastructure, it was about where and how they could play.

"It's showing that the city is playful place and a child-friendly place."

The trail built on work that groups such as Whanganui Town Centre Regeneration had already put in, McKenzie said.

"There were a few things we knew we wanted to incorporate, the awa and the walkway along there, and the Drews Ave work.

"A big focus is helping people learn about our city and to interact with it in a new way.

"Things like Handspan up on the [Queen's Park] hill is not on the usual foot traffic route."

McKenzie said children were recruited to test the trail before it was launched.

"We changed a couple of the activities after having the kids go round. They played in a different way to what we expected.

"The critical part of the trail is the pavement stickers which, as well as being a guide, also show that these places are play spaces.

"They are permission-givers."

A wide range of activities are covered, from a silly walk zone to a Whanganui story via the retro telephone handset outside Article Cafe in Drews Ave.

"We wanted to have something for everyone," McKenzie said.

"There is one that's around art, there's one that's more physical, there are social ones and there's team work.

"Hopefully adults enjoy some of them as well."

Maps for the trail are available at the Whanganui Regional Museum and the i-Site on Taupo Quay, or can be downloaded from https://discoverwhanganui.nz