Lorna Irene Drive Reserve
This small playground was revamped in 2023, winning Playground of the Year at the 2023 New Zealand Parks Awards hosted by Recreation Aotearoa. It is a fully accessible playground, located in an established subdivision with small trees and gardens. It’s suited to toddlers and young children. Two covered bench seats let you enjoy a bit of shade. As one of the lesser-known playgrounds on the Kāpiti Coast, this is regarded by many as a hidden treasure!
Amenities
- Playground
- in-built ground trampoline
- musical equipment
- accessible playground equipment
- New Zealand's first wheelchair seesaw
- wheelchair accessible roundabout
- wheelchair accessible tower
- sensory play opportunities
- accessible swings.
The inclusive swing was donated by Kris Dahl and her son Cyrus, who has cerebral palsy. Their fundraising efforts have seen seven inclusive swings donated to playgrounds across the Wellington Region.
Location
Communication boards
To help everyone be part of the conversation, this playground has communication boards in both English and Māori. They are a form of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) that non-speaking people use to communicate. We have designed these boards to support non-speaking tamariki and whānau in their play.
Download a pdf of our communication boards for this playground:
Communication Board - Lorna Irene Drive Reserve in English [PDF 590 KB]
Communication Board - Lorna Irene Drive Reserve in Māori [PDF 608 KB]
Our boards were developed in partnership with TalkLink Trust, our Disability Advisory Group, with input from a speech language therapist and parents of non-verbal children. For more information on developing a core board for your group or organisation, contact TalkLink Trust.