It's more grey than green, and Mount Maunganui's new "urban space" hasn’t been received well by locals.
Last month Tauranga City Council voted to adopt "Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka" as the official name for the old Phoenix car park.
That translates to "The Place of The Circling Birds", but its transition from a 55 space carpark, to a $2.5 million facility hasn't gone down well.
1 NEWS spoke to a number of people who felt the council had missed the mark with the new park.
"It's not very green. It's just a lot of space gone to a lot of waste, " was how a young couple described it.
Others complained about the lack of shade and heat created by the large expanse of concrete, but deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout says there's still a lot to be done.
"New shade trees to be planted and also there's some water spouts behind me which are going to be utilised," he says.
There are signs dotted around the area informing people "there are still a number of exciting features to be commissioned".
Skaters have ignored the "no skateboarding" signs, and have damaged parts of the concrete seating.
The park will host mini concerts and markets, and it's hoped will transform the space into a vibrant centre.
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