Earthworks have begun on reserve land at Rangitahi where a public playground, astro-turf tennis court and basketball half-court are scheduled to be completed by the end of summer.
It’s something to get excited about, reckons Rangitahi project general manager Sam Laity, given the facilities will be used by the wider Raglan community.
Sam met the Chronicle last week at the 3179 square-metre reserve site overlooking Opotoru estuary and pointed out where the courts – expected to be ready by the end of January – are currently under construction. An adjacent children’s playground with slides, swings and a climbing-frame is expected to be ready for use by late summer.
The playground will also take advantage of the site’s natural slope by incorporating a long tubular downhill slide, he says.
Two public toilets – one with wheelchair access – and a drinking fountain are also included in the plans, he adds.
The new recreation facilities are intended for use by the whole of Whāingaroa, and on completion will be gifted to Waikato District Council.
This reserve is being developed as part of The Plateau stage of the Rangitahi subdivision, Sam explains, with plantings and 38 parking spaces already completed nearby.
Some commercial development and a public swimming pool will later be added, Sam says, making the area “a great asset” to the Raglan community.
The Plateau is the fifth of seven stages planned on the Rangitahi peninsula’s 117 hectares, and its development signifies roughly the halfway mark of the entire project which was launched in 2017.
Building began on the lifestyle development subdivision two years later, and the peninsula now boasts 118 finished houses with a further 48 under construction.
By Edith Symes
