Five places to play in Palmy

Published on 19 December 2019

Children playing at the splashpad under the sun.

When you play in Palmy, the world is your oyster.

If you're a slide junkie, we have a park for you. Interested in butterflies? We have a park for that too. With sunny days here to stay, it's time to get outside and enjoy our beautiful city. Here are some of our top spots.

Skateboarding kid hanging upside down on the rim of the skate bowl, mid-leap.

Palmerston North Skate Park*

Our central city skate park includes a pump track, pyramid ramp, pole jam, ledges, many pads, flat bars, hubbas, banks and hips.

Even if you have no idea what any of these terms mean, we can assure you that if you've got a skateboard or scooter, you're destined to have fun. Find the park at Railway Reserve.

Young girl climbing on playground ropes.

Milverton Park*

In the heart of Palmy, Milverton Park playground has just had a major reno and is proving popular for toddlers and older kids alike.

Get in early to get an easy park or stay late and have a picnic dinner under the beautiful elm trees.

Grinning boy crawls through a tyre in the playground.

Linklater Reserve*

Located in Kelvin Grove on the north-western edge of the city, Linklater is one of our newest and biggest parks. It's more of a wilderness park, where an epic flying fox awaits the older kids and younger ones can have a go on our log and tyre scramble.

Bring the doggo too – we have agility equipment and plenty of paddocks to tire both your fur babies and real babies.

Family sliding together down a giant slide on a hill.

Rangitāne Park*

Love to slide? Then this is the park for you. The Rangitāne Rippler is so long we've built steps for you to climb the hill that gets you to the top. It's made of stainless steel, so don't plan your trip on a searing hot day.

Located in the south of the city near the racecourse, Rangitāne Park in Awapuni has a playground to keep everyone entertained.

Closeup of child's face looking at butterfly perched on a flower.

Apollo Park

Apollo Park in Milson is often referred to as Butterfly Park, and rightly so. Between December and April you'll be able to see monarch butterflies hatching throughout the park. Early morning is the best time to see them and once you're done you can play on the recently renovated playground, which includes a large rocket children can climb in and on and spin around.

* There are restrooms available at these locations.

This story was originally published in the summer 2019 issue of PalmyProud. Read the latest issue.