Utu Nui and Rangatira are lucky enough to have an incredible and huge under cover outdoor area as well as a beautiful sandpit and climbing area filled with sunshine.
Our space is so big, it enables us to have bikes, running, obstacles courses, balls, a climbing wall and lots of opportunity for gross motor skill play across a big area. And to make this safe, we have movable fences that we are able to position in different ways to respond to the needs and direction of play for our tamariki.
Not everyone wants to burn energy at a high rate outside. Sometimes, tamariki just want to do their quiet activities outside too. Our space also enables us to have areas for construction, carpentry, arts and crafts, a role play area, and to have puzzles and games outside too.
We have chosen the pikorua - triple twist to represent our outdoor area. This extends on the thinking behind the double twist of the Utu Nui room and welcomes another twist in the joining of cultures and the bonding of friendship for life. We liked how the concept of two shoots growing and twisting together represented our Utu Nui and Rangatira rooms coming together and forming friendships across groups.