Parks Week runs from 4-12 March 2017 and is being marked with some fantastical additions to some of the Whakatāne District’s public spaces.
Warren Park in Whakatāne, Matatā Lagoon Reserve in Matatā and Ratihi Reserve in Edgecumbe will all be turned into digital fantasy playgrounds with the ‘Magical Parks’ mobile app for two weeks, starting on Saturday, 4 March, and locals and visitors are invited to come along and experience some great new technology.
The Magical Parks app was created in New Zealand and blends a virtual world with an existing park. Users get to interact and explore a fantasy world where they have to herd kittens, run away from a bad fairy or come face to face with a giant T-Rex — all in a local park, using a smartphone or tablet.
Parks Week is promoted by the New Zealand Recreation Association, whose chief executive Andrew Leslie says he is looking forward to seeing Magical Parks springing up throughout New Zealand.
“We believe combining outdoor play with technology can motivate kids to get off the couch and be more physically active,” he says. “We can’t reverse the effects of technology, nor should we try. What we can do is create healthy relationships with technology by using the screen to get kids outdoors and moving around. Kids love playing mobile games outside, because they get to run around and have fun in a really engaging way.”
Whakatāne District Council Public Affairs Officer, Richard Parfitt, says the Magical Parks app is easy to install and use, and although there are some technical requirements, the majority of mobile devices will be compatible.
“It pays to download the ‘Magic Parks’ app from the Google Play or App Store before heading to the park. If your device is missing a required component, you’ll see a ‘not compatible’ message then,” he says. “To play at a Magical Park, you’ll need GPS turned on and access to mobile data. Each game uses only a small amount of data, around 50 KB, so you don’t need to worry about data usage. Head to your nearest Magical Park, read the signage, head into the play area, turn on the app and follow the instructions from there. We’ve been testing it, and it's lots of fun!”
- Magical Parks on Google Play »
- Magical Parks on Apple's App Store »
- Magical Parks FAQ »
- Parks Week events schedule »
Update from developers: "The Aliens have arrived at Magical Park and scared the dinosaurs away! Please rest assured they will come out of hiding later in the week!"
A video with details on the Magical Parks app is below.