A high-quality sports and informal recreation park that makes the most of its context by providing excellent physical and visual linkages.
Once an extensive area of mudflats, Cox’s Bay Reserve was formed by a series reclamation projects carried out from the 1950 to the 1970’s. Several parcels of land were acquired over five decades to form the final extent of the reserve. The reserve was officially opened for use in the early 1980’s, and has been used extensively ever since.
This park provides an excellent example of incorporating sports and recreational facilities together, and embracing the surrounding context in the design. At Cox’s Bay, the foreshore, estuary and gully vegetation have been seamlessly integrated into the overall design, adding considerable value to the experiences afforded to visitors.
This reserve is surrounded by dense residential development, and offers a wide variety of activities to appeal to a large number of users, and a variety of sporting codes.
A management plan was written for the park in 1994; and the most recent upgrade to the park includes the upgrading and widening of a boardwalk that travels through the wetland area leading from the sports fields to Richmond Road. This boardwalk is heavily used by runners, cyclists and dog walkers and its widening has allowed multiple user groups to enjoy it without conflict.
There are a number of scheduled Maori heritage sites which exist on the site, mostly along the edges of the reserve, and an old mill called Cashmore’s Mill once called Cox’s Bay home.
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