When Christchurch's $3million Margaret Mahy Family Playground opened in December hundreds of children sped on to the site, followed closely by their parents.
The rush hasn't stopped - more than 100,000 visitors have come to the playground in its first two months.
The need for destination playgrounds is something not lost on Hamilton's city council either.
The city's lakeside park, already host to a lot of playground equipment, got a $650,000 improvement in December with the opening of a new destination playground.
The Lake Domain playground was funded by the Hamilton City Council and was the start of its Playgrounds of the Future Plan, a strategy championed by Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker to develop new destination playgrounds across the city.
The Nelson City Council is also investing in a signature, high-quality playground.
Inner-city Rutherford Park is being transformed into a landmark family destination and public space.
That transformation will include a destination playground with $614,000 budgeted in the council's long-term plans.
And of course there's Invercargill.
Our southernmost city's magnificent Queens Park holds an equally magnificent collection of play equipment, from the old castle area, to the waterplay zone and the large, well-stocked adjacent playground.
Central to all these playgrounds is significant investment and high-quality central-city sites.
Dunedin?
Three of the city's playgrounds stand out as significant.
The Woodhaugh Gardens playground features swings, slides, see-saws and a flying fox all spread over a large area, while the nearby paddling pool is a summer hit.
Mosgiel's 2006 Memorial Park playground features a sand-based play area, a huge climbing net, a wooden fort with two slides and various other attractions spread over a large area.
St Kilda's Marlow Park "dinosaur'' playground is probably the city's most treasured play area, with its child-sized road safety area and its instantly recognisable concrete attractions.
However, the last significant renovation in Marlow Park was completed in November 2001.
There was a playground on the site at least as long ago as the 1920s, while the playground's concrete constructions were first planned in 1966 and built over the following few years.
Dunedin certainly has playgrounds.
But they're not in the league of the country's new mega-playgrounds.
And they're certainly not central.
Are they grand enough to attract the family tourism market?Are they good enough to offer Dunedin's children the same excitement and challenges other New Zealand children are now enjoying?
Are they playgrounds befitting the new-found optimism and growth of Dunedin?
Also of note is the fact Dunedin's children don't have a city zoo, unlike children in New Zealand's other major cities.
New Zealand's zoos are generally accidents of history rather than the result of planned ratepayer outlay, but nevertheless they are attractions available to children from Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.
Not Dunedin.
While the council does have a playground strategy, signed off in 2006, over the next two years it will be developing a new "playground priority plan as part of our overall parks and recreation strategy'', Dunedin City Council parks and recreation group manager Richard Saunders said.
"This will include auditing the play values of all DCC playgrounds, evaluation of condition assessment information and community consultation to help establish the priority plan.''
While there was "no plan at this stage'' to build a new destination playground in the city, that could change, he said.
"If there was a strong call from the community for such a facility, it could be considered as part of the consultation around the playground priority plan.''
What do you think?
Is there a strong call?
Are Dunedin's children being shortchanged?
Is it time for a significant investment, be it crowd-funded, ratepayer funded or sponsored, into a children-focused attraction for this city?
• Email the Otago Daily Times with your views: reporters@odt.co.nz.
