Avalon Park Drive, Epuni, Lower Hutt City

Avalon Park

In 2016 the Hutt City Council spent millions upgrading this previously undervalued riverside recreation area of six hectares adding new facilities including world first free outdoor virtual reality game for kids.

Always well utilised for winter sports as it had been set out in playing fields, Council invested in new facilities needed to boost it’s popularity for a wider demographic and year round use.

After completing the carparks and driveways, a staggered programme rolled out several interactive outdoor playgrounds aimed at different age-groups, including flying foxes and large climbing structures. Council planned for Avalon to rival Christchurch City’s acclaimed new Margaret Mahy Playground. The new facilities are additional to the existing cycle training area, Lions Club miniputt and miniature train, skate park, bbq area and several other longstanding attractions.

Perhaps the most dynamic direction taken by Council in their new upgrade was to invest in cutting edge geospatial augmented reality technology named Magical Park. Kiwi startup Geo AR Games came up with an international first in placing moving virtual characters in safe flat parks, in order to get children off the couch and interacting with nature as well as their devices. This bold council happened to have an ideal testing space for the programme and Avalon became the world’s first Magical Park.

The App Magical Park can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Playstore on most devices, then take the child to the park. There are two worlds, one called 'Augmentia' which is alive with collectable virtual kittens, or they can play 'Prehistoria' where kids can collect dinosaur eggs. Magical Park also features scheduled event based games for halloween, Christmas or Easter to mix it up a bit.

Geo AR Games were a finalist in the New Zealand Innovation Awards 2016. Their technology, aimed at children supports environmental as well as health goals, and is attracting international attention.

At Avalon Park, further landscaping, improvements to the existing model boating pond and upgrades to ablutions block will follow.

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