Twenty-five years in the making and a decade in development, Te Rimutahi is soon set to celebrate its first birthday, a flourishing beacon of community, hope and optimism on Ponsonby Road.
Te Rimutahi was the winning entry into the Ponsonby Park design by landscape architecture and urban design studio, LandLAB. Springing from a former carpark and retail site, the thoughtfully designed urban haven is one that’s grounded in historical purpose. The park’s name, gifted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, honours the sacred lone rimu that once stood at the corner of Ponsonby and Karangahape Roads.
“This was a team effort championed by the Waitematā Local Board in partnership with community heroes Chris Bailey and Jen Ward of the Community-Led Design Group, over time growing together with mana whenua and LandLAB,” says Boopsie Maran of Places for Good, the park’s community and cultural concierge. “It’s a gift that adds a new chapter to Ponsonby’s storied history.”
At the Ponsonby Road entrance, an heroic vertical steel pou establishes a strong cultural presence, with its form and detailing inspired by the sacred rimu tree. Patterning, textures and colour references draw from rimu-dominated environments, while perforations along the pou echo rau (leaves) and the pūrerehua (moth) whose lifecycle beneath the bark symbolises connections to marama, forest ecologies and the wider story of the site. The artwork is courtesy of Graham Tipene.
“This was a team effort championed by the Waitematā Local Board in partnership with community heroes Chris Bailey and Jen Ward of the Community-Led Design Group, over time growing together with mana whenua and LandLAB,” says Boopsie Maran of Places for Good, the park’s community and cultural concierge. “It’s a gift that adds a new chapter to Ponsonby’s storied history.”
It’s a gift that adds a new chapter to Ponsonby’s storied history.
Across the park, garden bed geometry and terracing reference Maungawhau/Mount Eden, while ground plane patterns trace the movement of water and acknowledge the nearby Waikuta and Tunamau streams. The existing canopy shelters the wānanga (education space), where ceiling lights evoke whetū and Ranginui, and lighting at ground level reflects the enduring relationship with Papatūānuku. Indeed, late last year, the park was recognised by the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards, with the Gold award 2025 Lighting Design. The judges commented on the site’s “amazing use of light” – designed by Beca Lighting – that “brings so much magic to the street after hours”.
Beyond simply being a place of spiritual beauty, the park, built by advocacy, has in a sense evolved into its very own advocate for the spirit of community within Ponsonby and beyond.
“Te Rimutahi, in its heritage, was initially a place to meet on a ridge,” says Boopsie. “Its role today is exactly the same as it was at its foundation – a place to meet – reflected in a community programme designed to foster connection, hence the activation name Meet me @ Te Rimutahi.”
From tai chi and social dancing to jazz and Lindy Hop sessions, many activities are driven by residents themselves – including local hero Peter Rogers and bass player David Schaevitz – all of whom share a passion for “bringing joy to the area”. Other initiatives include Makers Markets and Books in Parks events backed by the likes of the Women’s Bookshop and Little Ley’s Library, all serving to continue the focus on connection, learning and shared experiences.
“At its heart, Te Rimutahi offers both a place of calm and a chance to try something new, from folk dancing to hopscotch,” Boopsie adds, “bringing friends, neighbours and visitors together in a space designed for everyone to relax and enjoy.”
Meet me @ Te Rimutahi in March: Tai Chi Tuesdays 9:30am-10:30 am; Books in Parks – Reading Party on 19 March 4pm-6pm.
