A new skate park for a small surfing community in Taranaki

GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF

A new skate park and bowl has opened in Oakura, Taranaki.

People in a small Taranaki town renowned for its surfing will now be able to carve even when the waves are flat.

Three months after the first sod was turned hundreds of people braved the rain to watch skaters perfect their moves at the town's new and improved skate park and bowl.

Niwa Shewry, 12, from Oakura has been skating for about five years and was impressed by the new set-up.

GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF

The new skate park links up with the old old one via a path

"It's really good and smooth and has a really good vibe to it and I like that it'll bring heaps of people together."

"I live down the road so will probably use it a lot," he said.

GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF

Niwa Shewry, 12, likes the new bowl.

The skate park, located opposite the beach in Shearer's Park, was designed and built by Jason Parkes, from Auckland, who has been designing skate parks for 20 years.

Phil Culf from the Taranaki Skateboarding Association said the bowl design was really free-flowing, which complemented the Oakura waves and allowed for lots of carving. 

"This is so good for our crew and a real step up for all of Taranaki as well," he said.

GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF

Sam Cooper was there to try it out.

"It's a real upgrade from the last one which was built more out of necessity than anything."

Culf said the bowl also had some unique features and would help lift skateboarders' skills.

"This bowl is deeper and has a lot more challenges, it also has a really tight bank that hasn't been seen on any other bowl in the country," he said.

"Kids evolve in skateboarding based on what is put around them, so to give them something like this bowl will allow them to push themselves and elevate their skating to a whole new level."

"There's been some really good skaters come out of Taranaki and people are really starting to take notice of them."

Funding for the park came from the New Plymouth District Council, the Oakura community, the TSB Community Trust and the New Zealand Community Trust.