15 Mar 2018

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Kids really got stuck into the mud at a nature play experience held at Bottle Lake Forest Park.

Getting dirty and having fun was the order of the day as children turned into mud monsters at the Messy Mud Nature Play event organised by Council Park Rangers for Parks Week.

Using big hoses they turned a bike track and hill into a mud pile “wallow” and a mucky mud slide that was enjoyed by about 50 children and adults on Thursday morning.

The children, aged from about 18 months up to nine-year-olds, could sit in the wallow, slip down the slide, and play in a mud kitchen area with bowls and foliage such as raupo flowers.

Groups from South Brighton Playcentre and Ferrymead Preschool and Nursery took part along with other families.

Council Regional Parks Manager Kay Holder said it was a very enjoyable event for children and feedback from parents was extremely positive. “A lot of parents said they would be keen for more activities like this one. It was very successful in terms of getting these kids fully immersed in nature and having a lot of fun in the outdoors.”

The annual Parks Week, organised by the NZ Recreation Association, runs until Sunday to raise awareness of the value of open spaces and get people outside enjoying themselves.

The Council has focused on nature play for the week with a Challenge for local families to visit as many parks as they can, do some outdoor activities, and be in to win an explorer pack - a child’s backpack stuffed with useful tools including a head torch, bug-catching kit, net and magnifying glass and nature books.

Final events for Parks Week include the READiscover nature-themed story times sessions at Diamond Harbour Library on Friday and South Library on Saturday.

Seven parks that are located near libraries - including Bishopdale Park, Halswell Domain and Redwood Park - have hidden treasure boxes with nature-related books inside as part of READiscover.