Target Reserve Playground

Worth the Drive Up?

Getting to Target Reserve takes a little commitment. From Target Road you'll need to turn onto Cedar Grove — and when you hit the steep incline and start wondering if you've taken a wrong turn, you haven't. Just keep going. What's waiting at the top more than justifies the slightly uncertain approach.

The reserve itself is vast — wide open green fields stretching out across elevated ground — and the playground sits within it as a compact, self-contained little space. Don't come expecting a multi-zone mega-playground. But do come expecting one of the better views you'll find at any playground in the area. Perched on high ground looking down over the houses of Sunnynook rolling into the distance, it's the kind of panorama that makes you want to just sit on the grass and take it in for a while. Which, frankly, is exactly what we did.

The playground is small. The view is not. Sometimes that's the whole point.

The Seesaw You Haven't Seen Before

The equipment here covers the classics — a standard slide, a regular seesaw — but there's one piece that genuinely stopped us in our tracks and that we haven't come across at any other playground we've visited. It's a modern hybrid seesaw: instead of simply moving up and down on a fixed pivot, the central axis connects to a curved track rail. This means the whole mechanism can swing sideways as well, gliding along the rail with a smooth, momentum-driven motion that's completely different from anything a conventional seesaw offers.

It sounds simple enough when you describe it, but watching kids figure out the motion — and then refuse to get off — tells you everything. Our kids were fascinated by it, and it's the kind of unique equipment that gives a small playground an outsized reason to visit. If you've got kids who've done every standard playground in the area, this alone makes Target Reserve worth the detour.

Practical Notes

A few things to know before you go. There are no public toilets and no drinking fountains at this reserve, so come prepared — bring water and plan bathroom stops accordingly. Parking is a little inconvenient given the access road, so allow a few extra minutes. The green space surrounding the playground is expansive enough that once you're up there, there's plenty of room for the kids to run freely between bouts on the equipment.

Bottom line

Minor inconveniences aside, this is genuinely a place worth visiting at least once — for the views, for the wide open space, and especially for that seesaw. A small playground that earns its place on the list. If you're already in Totara Vale, pair it with Teviot, Wanita, or Leiden Reserve on a park-hopping morning — but even on its own, the drive up is worth it.