William Fraser Memorial Park on Pohe Island

A photograph at sunset at Pohe Island sportgrounds.

William Fraser Memorial Park on Pohe Island is a large park in central Whangārei, offering a range of recreational activities and easy access to the Hātea Loop walkway.

Facilities include an adventure playground, skate park, cycle pump track, cycle circuit, bike skills area, bmx tracks, dog park, sports fields, Bike Park shelter, toilets, rally track and the Camera Obscura.

Parking

Free, all day parking is available at Pohe Island car park, on Pohe Island Road. Entrance off Riverside Drive, opposite Kauri Place. Parking is also available near the Bike Park and Dog Park.

Dogs

There is a fully fenced dog exercise park off Dave Culham Drive. Dogs are prohibited from the sports grounds but allowed on-leash in other areas within the park.

What to expect

  • Pohe Island destination playground and old BMX track
  • Public skate park
  • BMX club facility (members only)
  • Football and rugby sports fields
    • home of Northland Rugby
    • Old Boys Marist Clubrooms
    • Mad Hatters Football Clubrooms
  • Dog exercise park
  • Camera Obscura (accessible code available on request)
  • Bike Park shelter
  • Cycle circuit track
  • Bike skills area
  • Pump track.

Future development plans

Find out more about other projects planned for the park:

William Fraser Park development 

Booking an area for your event

You can book the following areas for your special event:

  • William Fraser Park event space beside the skatepark
  • Bike Park shelter, cycle circuit or pump track
  • Pohe Island central car park.

If you need exclusive use, access to power, a code or key, toilets outside of normal opening hours you should book. 

There are small fees for exclusive use for your event. 

Book the Town Basin, a District park or a car park

Pohe Island destination playground

The playground is a destination play experience for locals and visitors alike, featuring climbing structures, slides, a large sandpit, many swings, new toilets and space to run around.

While some of the earthworks and the toilet-block will be ready around mid 2023, the playground itself is open now.

To complement the new Town Basin playground, the Pohe Island destination playground provides more adventurous play on a much larger scale.

Parking for the new playground is available at the large 272-space Pohe Island carpark, accessed off Riverside Drive. It is also accessible from the popular Hatea Loop walkway. 

Pohe Island Bike Park

The Bike Park is open to the public and can be used for a casual use, a one-off event or regular training.

Up-and-coming events and guidelines for organisers of events and activities at the Bike Park can be viewed on the Bike Northland's website.

Events at the Bike Park (bikenorthland.co.nz)

The bike park rules and etiquette are also available on their website.

Bike Park rules and etiquette (bikenorthland.co.nz)

Facilities include the 800m circuit track, bike skills area, pump track and the Bike Park shelter which can be booked for events and includes lighting, power and toilets.

Pohe Island Bike Park (bikenorthland.co.nz) 

For those who are still working on their skills, the old BMX track beside the Hātea Loop has been resealed and has been very popular since its opening in September 2022. 

Camera Obscura

The Whangārei Camera Obscura is an interactive sculpture on the Hātea Loop walk.

A camera obscura is a darkened room with a small hole or lens at one side through which an image is projected onto a wall or table opposite the hole.

You can find out more about Timatatanga Hou / Camera Obscura on the following page.

Timatatanga Hou / Camera Obscura

Location

Pohe Island Road, Whangārei 0112  View Map

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