New Brighton Whale Pool
The new playground sits just to the north of New Brighton Library and has everything from water cannons and musical toys to swings, slides and a large waka that children can climb and play in.
Said to be a mixed of traditional and new with a cultural aspect with a giant waka made from sustainable timber and treated without chemicals. Wet and dry play equipment, including a 600kg copy of the original whale from the old playground that became an icon as most remember spending time there during the Christchurch summer.
This playground includes giant xylophones and percussion instruments fastened to playing surface made from recycled sand shoes.
Located by the sea next to the New Brighton Mall, New Brighton Pier, Library and soon to be constructed Salt Water pools this playground offers a complete outing for the whole family.
Local school children and community members had input into the design of the playground, which is the first major project to be delivered by Development Christchurch Limited (DCL). It was delivered ahead of time and under budget which was around $5 million of a total allocated spend in New Brighton of $19.2 million.
Further spend to come.
$ 1 million to be spent on the surf club relocation
$ 2 million for coastal enhancement works to be done as part of the pools project.
$11.2 million would go into the hot pools.
It has proven to be a very popular addition to the area.
Whale Pool History
Entry in the 2014 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt by Dianne Dwight.
Along with the lighthouse, the concrete whale has been an iconic feature of the pool at the New Brighton playground for over forty years. Known as the 'whale pool', such is the attachment that local residents have towards it, that when a survey was held in 2016, asking them what they expected from a redevelopment of the playground and pool, 90 per cent of the respondees stated that they wished for the whale to remain.
Children of Christchurch were first introduced to the whale in 1971, when, after years of planning, the playground opened on 16 December.
The origins of the playground lie in the formation of the New Brighton Pier and Foreshore Society which was established in 1964 to save the historic New Brighton pier (built in 1894) from demolition. Although the pier was eventually demolished in 1965, the society continued to serve the community. In 1967 the organisation decided to build a children’s playground and pool.
The northern carpark by the beach was chosen as the location, and in 1968 proposed designs were made. In the following year they were submitted to the Christchurch City Council but these were rejected as inadequate. To remedy this, the society hired a professional architect to bring their plans up to a required standard. Eventually these plans were scaled down, and when presented again to the council in 1971, they were approved. The pool and playground were completed in time for the summer holidays.
Like many of the other paddling pools in Christchurch, the whale pool was damaged during the February 2011 earthquake. Repairs were made and the pool officially reopened on 17 November 2012.
