Family Friendly Outing - Ahimate Reserve

OUR FAVOURITE FAMILY PLACE - AHIMATE RESERVE

By Kelly SUtton

Bring the dog, the baby, the bikes, a picnic and explore our favourite outside space in all of Palmy. It’s found at the end of Maxwell’s Line in Awapuni - there are also entrances along Buick Cres and from Dittmer Drive. The river path goes right through too! This reserve has a huge sports field, a fenced dog park, off road bike tracks, some gorgeous bush walks, river access, a dog agility course, a rock beach and so much more! We love to pack a lunch or grab ice creams from Awapuni 4 Square and meander around for the whole afternoon. There is so much to do and explore! You never know what you’ll find. In Bill’s Bush you might discover Palmy rocks, a fairy mansion, or a goblin in a tree! There is a lovely pine forest grove that has been set up for kids. There are wooden balancing beams, a cargo net in the tree, and stepping logs to make your way along. After that you can wander through the paths and see where you end up. Our favourite thing to do is to play hide’n’seek amongst the huge pine trees. So much fun in such a gorgeous space! From there, we head down to the beautiful Manawatu river and set up our picnic. It’s also a great place for the dog to swim or for the kids to throw rocks in. It’s incredibly refreshing to wade through the shallows on a hot day. We LOVE our local river. Ahimate Reserve has a path that runs right through so it’s perfect for bikes or strollers. You can ride through the bush and enjoy the cool fresh air. There are lots of mountain bike tracks hidden away too. We

love walking along them and seeing where they’ll take us. There is a little mountain bike area by the glorious toi tois, as well as an awesome pump track for the braver kids! You might find the hidden away playground/ hut tucked in one of the bush areas too.

The doggos will enjoy the fenced dog park, the cold river, or the dog agility course. We find the kids and dogs enjoy the agility course as much as each other :) This gorgeous place has become our local ‘go to’ when we all need some outside grounding time. It’s easy to spend a couple of hours walking through and exploring. Kids of all ages will find something cool! Check it out, it might become your favourite nature spot too!