Thames Coromandel mayor Len Salt addresses those gathered for the official opening of Porritt Park playground in Thames on Friday morning.
Thames Coromandel mayor Len Salt addresses those gathered for the official opening of Porritt Park playground in Thames on Friday morning.
The big kids made a noise as they celebrated the long-awaited opening of a revamped playground in Thames.
While the younger ones were a bit more reserved as Thames Coromandel mayor Len Salt asked if they were excited, the adults gave a roar, as he then asked the crowd: “How many big kids are excited to be here?”
Salt was joined by about 100 attendees at the private opening of the Porritt Park playground on Friday morning.
It was a meet and greet with benefactors and legacy donors to raise a toast following a community fundraising effort.
Salt told those gathered the first site meeting for the development took place in 2022, with multiple groups then getting on board to see it to the finishing line.
A couple of benefactors had quietly worked behind the scenes in driving the project forward, and Salt thanked them, along with four legacy donors who had donated about $50,000 each, along with other contributors.
“We don’t make a life by what we get, we make a life from what we give,” Salt said.
“This gift will provide families with a wonderful experience; it’s about the children.”
The final cost of the project was likely to top $1 million.
The new Porritt Park playground in Thames.
Porritt Park is understood to be the first destination playground in New Zealand to be built outside a major city.
It features new equipment including a climbing tower lighthouse, Wakatere boat, hamster wheels, talking tunnels and an accessible see-saw and carousel.
Community fundraising to build a specialised toilet facility and basketball court is still underway.
Thames Business Association is overseeing fundraising and community engagement.
The association’s chief executive Sue Lewis-O’Halloran earlier said they would need about $85,000 to finish the project as planned.
“When we started this project well over two years ago, at the tail end of Covid-19 - or so we thought - weather disruptions hadn’t hugely impacted us at that point, nor had the economy ‘tanked’, so it’s been a tough grind, as you can imagine, combined with a 41 per cent increase in building costs.
“Having said that ... many of our local businesses, including plumbers, electricians, civil works people and landscapers have stepped up to help us bring this playground to fruition.
“We are confident we’ll get the funds to finish the project and then work on the Changing Places toilet facility that will be a huge asset for people who cannot use regular accessible toilets, as the next nearest facility is in Hamilton Gardens.”
Alongside a significant contribution from the philanthropic family, community fundraising towards the target of $500,000 was still underway.
