Play with us on Heritage Day
Help us celebrate over a hundred years of play at Cornwall Park. Join us for a day filled with displays, fun activities, and entertainment - perfect for the whole whānau.

Saturday 27 September11am – 2pm surrounding the Cornwall Park Band Rotunda 

Rain date: Saturday 4 October.

A potted history of play in the park

Generations of tamariki have played beneath our trees and across our fields since 1903.

Back then toys were often handmade, crafted from natural materials or repurposed household items. Kids made their own fun with games and toys often passed down from generations of whāunau and friends. The rhythm of skipping ropes and rhyming chants, the clack of tī rākau, and the bounce of flax balls and marbles rang across the park. aerd . Homemade kites danced in the sky, and hoop-rolling races turned grassy paths into racetracks.

Want to try a traditional game? Tītītōrea, a rhythmic stick game, can be played using tī rākau (long, straight sticks) found on the ground right here in the park. Watch this video by Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum to learn:

By the 1930s, despite toys of metal, cardboard, and wood becoming more available in shops the spirit of creativity remained strong. Homemade and kit versions of model boats, aeroplanes, and gliders soared above the park’s lawns. These toys were often treasured and passed down through the family.

The post-war years brought a boom in toy innovation. Inspired by popular culture and new technologies, plastic hula hoops, frisbees, moon hoppers, and ball games became common.

In the 1990s, Aotearoa gave the world its second great outdoor play icon (after the Buzzy Bee of the 1940s): the chatter ring! Toys became cheaper to produce, and playground fads swept through schools and the park in waves—velcro catch, yoyos, skip-its, and more.

Some games never go out of style. Group favourites like Tag, Duck, Duck, Goose, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?, Skinks, Stuck in the Mud, and Bullrush have echoed through the park over the years. These timeless games continue to bring joy and laughter to tamariki and their whānau.

We love seeing all the different games you bring to the park. What do you remember playing here?