Though it was first and foremost known as playground, the equipment available made it a dual purpose spot for adult training.
A Calisthenics workout focuses on using body weight, with little to no equipment, but is elevated by the use of built-in structures such as parallel bars.
When the playground came up for renewal in 2021, Wellington City Council noticed that the only Calisthenics friendly area in the city would be taken away.
Alexi Trenouth, Play and Active Recreation Partnership Lead at Wellington City Council, began working closely with the community to understand what they needed to continue training in the city.
“Lots of big cities have dedicated Calisthenics parks but Wellington doesn’t, and we have such a big community here," says Alexi.
This gave way to an opportunity for the Council to work with the community to secure funding for the park, and to take part in the design process to make sure it would be purpose-built for use, adds Alexi.
“Wellington Calisthenics said they’d like a space for themselves, because the issue with it being in a playground is they feel like they’re displacing kids and not legitimately allowed to be there.
“They wanted a simple set up with monkey bars, parallel bars and soft surfacing around it, which makes it safe.”