Parks and Reserves, Amenity Reserves and Urban Road Verges

The purpose of the parks and reserves activity is:

• To provide space for people to pursue active and passive recreational activities for their social, spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing.
• To provide the landscape settings for towns.
• To ensure the protection and maintenance of history (ecological and human) and character of the area, including the protection of bush areas, estuaries, wildlife habitats, Waahi Tapu and historic sites.

The scope of the Parks and Reserves managed by Council is provided below

Sports and Operational Reserves

• Number of properties - 72
• Area - 284.4770 ha

Passive and Amenity Reserves

• Number of properties - 88
• Area - 135.9700 ha

The amenities constructed on the Parks and Reserves assets are available for use by the general public, 24 hours/day all year round.

Vehicle access is possible to most reserves.  In some instances, vehicle access is restricted, eg, Taumarunui Domain.  Motor bikes and quad bikes are prohibited from recreational reserves.

Individual sports associations and private individuals can reserve the use of specific sportsgrounds for their use and, when an asset is reserved, a charge may be placed upon that organisation.

Hockey and cricket is being placed on Council parks on rare occasions on a "fun" basis but there are no hockey fields or cricket pitches that are maintained by Council at the present time.  Participants in Taumarunui and Raetihi are enjoying the introduction and growth of touch rugby during the summer season.  Soccer in Taumarunui is played on a regular basis at Cherry Grove Domain fields and occasionally on the Taumarunui Domain.  Adult rugby is played on the Taumarunui and Ohakune rugby fields.

Netball fixtures on the Taumarunui netball courts remain high but elsewhere netball appears to be played only in school grounds.

Tennis is still played at the North Street (Taumarunui) courts but there appears to be no serious competition or coaching.  Rather, fun games for recreation.

Cherry Grove Domain is a well used park by canoeists, using Cherry Grove as the starting point for trips down the Whanganui River.  The Domain is also one of the most popular passive reserves in the District.