KOWHAI PARK

Kowhai Park covers 10.2ha and is managed by the Council.  It  is one of the Manawatu District Council’s premier or “flagship” reserves and as such has many functions for the community.
The key components of the Park include:

• A heritage management area: including the historic former racecourse main entrance gates and the Old Tote building;
• A “village green” area which includes the cricket ground;
• A gardens management area which includes the native bush, the Makino Stream, gardens, bush walks, aviaries and rose gardens.
• Children’s play areas.

Just inside the main gate, on the right-hand side of the drive, is a large oak planted as a memorial to mark the end of WWI.  A plaque at the base of the tree records the event.

In 1964 the Feilding Jaycees donated a bird aviary which was officially opened in August of that year.
Over the years additional land was purchased and added to the original 3.85ha (9 1/2 acres) site.  Today the park is 10.2ha in size.

Cricket
The "sports" part of this park is the home of Feilding Cricket.

In 1908 the Feilding Cricket Club set about laying a cricket field and in 1913 the reserve was officially renamed Kowhai Park. The cricket ground was neglected during WWI but in 1919 the Park Cricket Club applied to the borough council for use of the land - an application that saw the ground ploughed up, levelled and resown in 1922 thanks to a fundraising campaign.

Bookings
The pitch and clubroom facilities at Kowhai Park can be booked via the Council.