Kowhai Park Pictures

I had seen pictures of this park online before we came, but I had no idea exactly how big, or how cool, it was!

This is me being Goldilocks and trying Mama Bear's porridge. Shockingly enough, it was way too cold.

I love this pumpkin, but not the rhyme it's based on. So here is the version I like, from Mother Goose and Father Gander (which Mom and Dad read to us as children).

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater,

Had a wife and wished to keep her.

He treated her with fair respect,

She stayed with him and kissed his neck.

:)

This time it was J who fell off the wall. Humpty Dumpty seems dubious as to the wisdom of this choice.

I don't know if this is related to a nursery rhyme, but it is very neat! Penguins in the forefront, with seals behind, and an orca way in the back. I love it! And you can climb to the top of the rock pile, which is neat. In the summer, this area of the park is a splash park, which makes these animals right at home.

In one corner of the park is this cool wooden tree house type structure.

We headed up the pathways to the tower in the back, and discovered that there is a zipline there! I love that both parks we've been to so far have ziplines!

Here I go!!!

These tires at the end are to stop the zipline, but if you look carefully, you'll see that there are decent sized holes in them. No problem, I thought. That's what I was thinking right up until I sped up to the end and water cascaded out of the tires and soaked me to the skin!! Turns out, the rain from last night filled them up, and I neatly tipped them over! Yikes!

J couldn't figure out why I was screaming, but when he did (and after he finished laughing), he decided to go ahead and try the zipline, but to jump off at the end. Easier said than done, and J ended up with a very wet bum from his landing. Which made us quite a lovely pair, really. Fortunately, the sun dried us off quickly. And it was all worth it.

As we walked to the other end of the park, we saw this big bird peeking out at us from the foliage!

J decided to go and make friends with it, but once he got close, he remembered how scary emus are up close, and changed his mind!

Before we left, a friendly octopus very kindly let me swing off of one of her tentacles.