Christchurch Adventure Park to reopen in a week
The Christchurch Adventure Park (CAP) will reopen to the public next Friday– earlier than anticipated after last month’s Port Hills fires forced its closure.
All facilities, trails and infrastructure have been safety checked, general manager Anne Newman said.
The park was expected to open by Easter at the earliest but initial inspections showed there was less damage then predicted, she said.
Although the inferno burnt “about a third of the forest”, Newman said “nothing significant” was damaged – just trees, signage and minor infrastructure.
“The guys have been pushing through no matter what the weather, ” said Newman. “It’s so good to be able to open and to have a weekend under our belts and then go into Easter, before going into school holidays – it’s great.”
Newman said they were “seriously looking” at delivering new activities to the park too, and indicated they may not be bike related. “Watch this space over the course of the next year.”
The final 84th seat of the chairlift was reattached yesterday in preparation for next weekend.
During the inferno the adventure park continued to run the chairlift after taking the seats off. This contrasted with the 2017 firestorm when the seats were left in place and the molten plastic dripped onto the forest, contributing to the spread of the fire.
Extensive damage from the 2017 blaze closed the park for 10 months.
Although it has closed for just one month this time, it forced the cancellation of the mountain biking festival Crankworx’s summer series. It was to run from March 1 to 3 and be its first visit to Ōtautahi.
Newman was “absolutely gutted” the park was unable to host the series, but said it was “still in conversation” with Crankworx going forward. “So many people were looking forward to that, it was really going to put the park on the world stage.”
The park will be opening with a brand new pump track at its base built specially for the cancelled event.
“We cannot wait to see the park buzzing with activity again and we are so grateful to the emergency response crews and to our own team for the incredible work they have done to make that possible.”
Despite this year’s Port Hills fire burning through 650 hectares, firefighters and helicopter pilots managed to save nearly every house, apart from a container home.