New water feature at Pandora Pond

Published: 10 October 2016

Last Updated: 12 May 2017

Are you ready to have some fun?

People wanting to take their first dip in the sea this Hawke’s Bay Anniversary Weekend may like to head to Pandora Pond to try out Hawke’s Bay’s first inflatable water playground. Dubbed Splash ‘n’ Play, it is being installed by Napier City Council the week beginning 17 October at Pandora Pond, Napier, and will officially open to the public at 9am on Friday 21 October.

Splash ‘n’ Play, which is supported by Napier Port, includes a climbing/jumping tower and a trampoline, connected by a balance beam. The entire playground will occupy an area approximately 21m by 10.5m in size. It will be available – and free of charge - for use by young people and adults until the summer season is over. Council will remove it over the winter months, although the anchors connecting it to the estuary floor will remain in place.

It will be patrolled by lifeguards on weekdays from 3pm to 7pm, and weekends and holidays from 9am to 7pm. For safety reasons, only children aged eight years and over can use Splash ‘n’ Play. There will be signs in place explaining the safety rules. Users must be confident swimmers.

Splash ‘n’ Play has been made by Wibit, a Germany based international company that specialises in inflatable playgrounds designed for open water. Its work can be seen around the world, including in Australia.

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