When the school bell rings for intervals at Waitati School, pupils flood out of their classrooms and head in the same direction - to the new tree house.
The structure was designed by senior pupils at the school last year, and was recently built by Paul Ashford Landscaping.
Principal Stacey Honeywill said the tree house was one of the many pupil-inclusive projects taking place this year, which were aimed at celebrating the school's 150th anniversary next month.
''The kids love it,'' she said.
''The tree house gives them better access to the flying fox, which was difficult to access in the past, and the little ones hide inside the little cubbyhole inside.
''It's given them a bit more climbing ability.
''It's an awesome feature of the playground.''
The pupils were required to make a 3-D model and a computer-generated design using architectural software, which was approved by the board of trustees.
They were asked to design the model in reasonable detail, but without serious consideration of pricing or New Zealand safety standards.
The design was sent to Paul Ashford Landscaping for professional plans to be drawn up.
Mrs Honeywill said the board had used some of the $10,000 to $20,000 it had ''squirrelled away'' for anniversary projects.
''The novelty still hasn't worn off. It's the go-to piece of playground equipment.''
