Hundreds back for Adventure Park’s return
Hundreds of people flocked to Christchurch Adventure Park yesterday, its first day open to the public since the Port Hills fire last month.
The fires burnt through around 650 hectares of vegetation, including a third of the forest near the adventure park. Dozens of homes were evacuated.
After five weeks of being closed, general manager of Christchurch Adventure Park, Anne Newman, said they never expected to be open so quickly.
“We’re very fortunate that the damage wasn’t nearly as significant as we first thought.
“There’s a lot of work that's been done around the place to get it re-open, to make sure it's all safe for people to go.”
Christchurch Mayor, Phil Mauger, celebrated the day with a trip down the zipline. The longest of its kind in New Zealand.
A false alarm regarding a fire didn’t deter him, instead he said it was “part of the excitement.”
“Bloody marvellous, that was absolutely fantastic, everyone should have a go at this,” he said.
“We are back in business. Luckily we didn’t get as much damage as last time, these guys will move heaven and earth to get this up and running for this weekend and Easter.”
Zipline guide Samantha Neighbours also whizzed down the line, her first time since the fires went through.
She said seeing theblaze come so close made her feel “anxious”, especially as she loved her job.
“I’m just happy,” she said.
“It’s really nice seeing customers back in the village again and going down the zipline felt really good today, I won’t lie.”
Newman said that seeing “hundreds” of people return to the park, “makes you feel really good.”
She expected the park to get busier over the weekend, with bouncy castles, live music, drinks and coffee ready for the public.
“The best way you can support us is by coming to visit us over the weekend.
“We just want to see you back in the park.”