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Olympic Park
Olympic Park
New Lynn's Olympic Park is an award winning park located alongside Avondale
stream.
Awarded the Outstanding Park Award 2007 by the New Zealand
Recreation Association (NZEA) Olympic Park grew through the joint effort of the
Olympic Trust and Waitakere City Council.
The Park offers a state of the
art playground, large open spaces and sports facilities.
Olympic Park also
emphasises Waitakere City Councils eco-city vision in its development and
presents both educational and sustainable features throughout.
 History
Maori - Crossroads
Waitakere, and the larger region of Auckland, played an important role in the
history of the tribes that lived in the area.
The function of the isthmus was an important trading crossroads between tribes
of East and South Auckland with the West Coast and Kaipara areas.
The Whau Portage was of particular importance as it was used as the most direct
route to link the Manukau Harbour with the Waitemata.
Canoes were dragged to the head of the Whau River and rowed down to reach the
Waitemata, or in turn rowed and dragged across the to the Manukau along the
route that is present day Portage Road.
As the Whau River runs through Olympic Park today the area has historical
importance and is significant to both Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngati Whatua who
both have links to this area of Waitakere City.
 European
- Brick and Tile
In the mid-late 19th century the New Lynn area was labelled 'sterile &
desolate' and was considered an unworthy place for settlement.
It wasn't until the 1890's when the commercial value of the clay rich area was
realised, producing numerous brick and tile industries focused around the
railway.
After amalgamation of the brick and tile industries during the depression, post
World War II diversification into secondary services saw a rapid increase in the
area's population.
Most of the new service sector and industries were located along Portage Road,
adjacent to Olympic Park.
Reserve History - Sporting
 Though
the strong industrial history of the area shaped the population and character of
New Lynn, the rapid population increase and lack of resources led to an area
with few parks and reserves.
Originally New Lynn Domain, Olympic park was established in 1918 and officially
opened in April of 1929, almost a decade later local businessman Mr Brook Taylor
donated additional land to the council.
This land is now where the primary sports field and velodrome are located.
During the parks early days the sports field and velodrome was shared by the
Lynndale Athletics and Cycling Club and the New Lynn Association Football Club.
These would later be joined by gymnastics groups, brass bands, bowling
associations, badminton and soccer groups.
In the late 1940s New Lynn Domain was renamed Olympic Park, in what was a
possible move to honour the Olympic Athletes of the 1948 Games.
 Present
Day
Today Olympic Park is an award wining park built to offer the community a fun
area and open space as well as brilliantly utilizing space and restoring the
Whau River through replanting and revegetation of native streamside trees and
wetland vegetation.
This environmental aspect of the park works with Waitakere City's green values
and ecology to add to its distinctive character improving on the aquatic,
wetland and riparian habitats that run through the park.
It also recognises the strong history of the park and is home to various clubs
and organisations and includes an area for a brass band, honouring the use of
the area by the musical community over the last fifty years.
Activity Galore
From web-like rope climbing frames and
traditional swings with a twist, children will be easily entertained at Olympic
Park.
For the younger ones of the family, facilities include a large,
sheltered sandpit filled with toys and activities to keep them busy for hours on
end.
For the more adventurous in the family there are a number of rope
climbing frames for them to meander up and through and a hexagonal swing frame
which allows an interactive swing session guaranteed to have children laughing
in glee.
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Art
Waitakere City is known for its inspiration to artists from near and far.
Embracing this creative outlet many parks throughout Waitakere City offer art
for the community.
Olympic park offers a variety of art within its
boundaries, offering the casual stroller or art enthusiast different forms to
admire along the way, from traditional inspired carvings to more modern abstract
art.
Walking Tracks
Olympic Park offers beautiful walking tracks where you
can wander along the Avondale stream past the local
artwork, and the Avondale spider sanctuary.
The Avondale Spider, or Delena cancerides,
was made famous as the eight legged 'killer spider'
in Steven Spielberg's Arachnophobia.
Portrayed on the big screen
to look fearsome this local spider is actually harmless to humans.
Specially made woodpiles have been placed at Olympic
Park to offer colonies for those co-existing spiders
(photo).
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How to get there
From Portage Road to Wolverton Street.
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