An asphalt pump track, a multi-purpose all-weather court, a plaza and covered pergola, outdoor balance and climbing frames plus a basketball half court all feature in a huge communal reserve at Northlake which will soon be open for use.

The 1.2ha developed reserve, which includes a 6,000m2 flat grassed area for informal sport and play, cost $3M to create and will hopefully be open in October, Northlake developer and Winton Partners CEO Chris Meehan said.

“We are all really looking forward to opening the reserve, however the impact of COVID meant planting occurred later than planned and we need some spring sunshine to aid the growth of the comprehensive planting before we can open,” he said.

Construction on the reserve started earlier this year with the multi-purpose court, which is marked and equipped for futsal and tennis, and the basketball half-court and rebound wall. 

The community reserve, located on Northlake Drive, stretches over 12,000m2.

The plaza area includes seating, a BBQ and a water fountain, and connects by landscaped pathways to the outdoor adventure gym and the 120m loop track for bikes, scooters and skateboards.

Extensive paths, gardens, mass planting of natives and many specimen trees, all under irrigation, complete the park-like development.

Winton Partners has copped some flak in previous years for amending its Northlake development plans for community facilities, including removing a promised indoor community swimming pool facility.

The 120m asphalt pump track is ideal for bikes, scooters and skateboards.

Chris said development’s like Northlake evolve over years but in the early design phase a substantial multi-use recreational area in the heart of Northlake was identified as a priority. 

“All good developments need quality communal spaces,” he said. 

“Flexibility and multi-use was central to the vision so people of all ages in the community would use it.” 

Northlake’s residents are already served by a tennis court and children’s playground near the village centre, but the location on Northlake Drive for the big reserve wasn’t decided until 2019 and “the final mix of facilities was informed by feedback from residents,” Chris said. 

The plaza with its covered pergola and BBQ is central to the reserve.

“The vision has certainly evolved as the community has grown.”

Chris said they wanted Northlake to have the best community reserve in the district and looked at similar operations elsewhere in New Zealand and overseas “that we felt would work, and that the community would appreciate”.  

“We identified the basketball half court as something that was missing [in Wanaka], and we wanted ... a generous green space for informal sports/games alongside the built facilities.”

The Northlake recreation reserve has been designed with the Northlake community in mind, he said, but will be open to the wider Wanaka community to use as well.

Residential development around Northlake’s remaining elevated areas is still in the master-planning phase but Chris expects substantial native plantings accompanying passive recreational opportunities, including walking and cycling tracks providing views of the lake, will become a feature of this later development.

Winton is also currently sealing and landscaping a further portion of Outlet Road, between Northlake and Lake Wānaka, to facilitate better and safer access to the lake and river outlet.

And, in time, Chris said, he hopes “a grocery store” will be established “as part of our existing village centre”.

PHOTOS: Supplied