Wakefield Recreation Reserve Wakefield 7025, Wakefield, Tasman
Right in the midst of the thriving Wakefield community is a spot where everyone comes to play. The Wakefield Recreation Reserve is tucked away behind a stand of beautiful trees just off the main road. These trees help to give the area a special flavour, with a totara, cedar and redwood each listed as notable trees by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.
The Reserve covers just over four hectares and it is being extremely well used by the community. There are four tennis courts as well as the tennis clubrooms. There’s an indoor shooting range, the clubrooms of the football club and playing fields for football and rugby. In the western end of the reserve a BMX track has been created beneath the trees. Floodlights on the playing fields allow for night practices to be held.The Wakefield Recreation Reserve isn’t all about sport though. It’s the venue for the very popular Fire Service Fireworks Display every Guy Fawkes and for the past couple of years has been home to the local Play Centre fundraising fair as well.
More recently extra parking and access to the reserve has been created from Pigeon Valley Road. From here there’s also a track down to the Wai-iti River. Another more recent addition is a walkway that links up to Edward Baigent Reserve. This was made possible by Richard Martin generously refencing his property to allow access along the river to the Reserve.
The reserve has its own special place in the history of Wakefield too. It was under one of the large totara trees that early settler Edward Baigent slept in 1843 on his first night in the area. A plaque and a young totara that was planted by Edward Baigent’s descendants in 1992 mark this site.Another memorial that graces the reserve is the gate on the eastern corner. It was erected in recognition of Lieut. Col. W.R. Pearless’ contribution to the district and services in the Boer War and World War 1.
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