Recreation Reserve is a neighbourhood park on Nile Street in Whanganui East, Whanganui, with a five-star rating from reviewers so far. Reserves like this are the quiet backbone of a suburb: green space, usually council-maintained, open to all without booking or charge. They suit the informal uses bigger parks cannot — ten minutes of ball practice, a dog on a lead, a blanket under a tree on a fine afternoon. Regulars tend to favour early mornings and evenings, when the ground is cool and the reserve is at its emptiest, and they know to check how a surface has coped after rain. When choosing between local reserves, work out what you actually need: shade and a seat, flat open ground for games, or simply grass within walking distance of home. For Whanganui East residents, having that kind of unfussy green space on Nile Street is exactly what a neighbourhood reserve is for.