Whale safe for now following structural review of playground

The removal of a much-loved item at Tāhunanui Beach’s playground brought up structural inquiries of other playground items installed in the same era.

The train, which had entertained generations of children since its instalment by the Nelson Host Lions Club in the 1960s, was abruptly removed by Nelson City Council on 13 September after it suffered damage that posed a health and safety risk.

The removal sparked disappointment among some elected members and the community that they hadn’t been notified by council before its derailment, and council apologised for the error.

Since the removal, concerns have been raised on social media about the future of other much-loved playground items including the whale and toadstools which had also been installed by Nelson Host Lions in the 60s.

Nelson City Council group manager for community services, Andrew White, says because the whale can be climbed on and walked under, council had commissioned a structural review of it.

“While there are no apparent safety issues with the whale, it has been fenced off temporarily while we await the outcome of this review, and we ask that people respect this barrier,” he said on Monday.

Structural engineers gave the whale the all-clear later on Monday.

An NCC spokesperson says some cracking on its back will be repaired to seal out any water, but it is otherwise constructed differently to the train and has been found to be structurally sound. This will be reviewed every two years.

Council now know more about what happened with the structural damage to the train.

"The windows, when cut into the train carriages, exposed its internal steel reinforcing to salt water, causing it to rust over time. The rust expanded, weakening the train's structure and causing it to crack, which eventually led to its collapse."

The whale is constructed differently to the train, and contains concrete plaster and a mesh frame.

Andrew also says the structural integrity of the toadstools had been inspected.

“Since the train at Tāhunanui Reserve was damaged and rust found on its internal steel reinforcing earlier this month, all other playground items, including those dating back to the 1960s, have been inspected,” he says.

“These inspections found a small amount of concrete damage to one of the toadstools but have not raised any immediate safety concerns. The toadstool will be repaired and is not considered a safety risk.

“The playground equipment at Tāhunanui Reserve is inspected on a fortnightly basis for damage. Every three months a more in-depth inspection is carried out, and every three years, an independent playground inspector reviews and reports on all playground equipment and surfacing.”

The council says it will work with Nelson Host Lions Club and the Tāhunanui Businesses and Residents Association, in consultation with the community, on a suitable replacement for the train.

Nelson Host Lions president, Paul Milne, says he looked forward to developing a replacement for the train with the council.