Parua Bay skatepark build begins

Published on 23 July 2025

Grown-ups, if you don’t understand this, get someone younger to explain. 

The list was not quite endless when young people said what they’d like to see in a skatepark at Parua Bay. 

Ideas included half pipes, a ramp, a rail and a flat part, a half bowl and a hill, boxes, ledges, a place for young skaters, easy and hard things, a flat area for roller skaters, art and designs, stairs, a water fountain, a foam pit, a cafe or canteens, toilets, benches, tables, shelter, Wi-Fi, a pyramid, trees and people. 

Council’s response didn’t cover everything, but it was still a pretty long list, including a 5-foot roll-in quarter ramp, 6-foot and 4-foot quarter pipes, two pump bumps and a bump, pump, roll-in, a flat rail, flat ledge, banks (including a 6-foot one) a manual pad ledge, Euro gap stairset, stairset rail, a down and flat ledge, a wedge feature, berm corner, and a 3.5-foot hip quarter pipe. 

Steve Bowling Contracting has started work on the $480,000 skatepark and it should be finished by the end of October. 

Taking the lead from community feedback, the skatepark includes a variety of features that will be suitable for all abilities, from beginners through to advanced users. 

It will also have a footpath to the carpark at the nearby community centre. It has been a long time coming. 

The recreation reserve north of the Manaia Squash Club, the bowling club and the community centre were acquired by Council in 1991. 

In 2021, dozens of people, old and young, gave letters of support, or filled out questionnaires (including diagrams and pictures) saying what they’d like to see, and why they liked the location chosen for the park. 

In 2024, building a skatepark was one of 24 actions identified in the Parua Bay Placemaking Plan:

Parua Bay Placemaking Plan