Happy Island new rides to thrill visitors
Theme park employs 220 locals
For the benefit of thrill lovers and kids’ favourite, Happy Island is expanding its thrill-a-minute experience with the inclusion of a new theme park.
Nestled in the scenic rural Muldersdrift in Krugersdorp, Happy Island is renowned as the perfect spot to enjoy water entertainment and thrill rides during spring and summer since its launch on New Year’s Day in 2019.
The Waterworld, founded by Tim Hogins alongside his Chinese partner Yi Huiqiang, brings water splashes onshore.
The 34 hectares water park has at least 16 thrill rides including a gravity loop, high speed slides, master bluster super tubes and the wave pool, which has waves running four metres high and counting six waves per hour.
Hogins, hailing from Toekomsrus in Randfontein, claims the place and its offerings are bigger than the famous Sun City’s Valley of The Waves.
“We are double the size of Sun City and we offer bigger waves.
“The place just feels as if you are somewhere in the beach enjoying the seasons. This has made it exciting for our patrons and now we want to go bigger with our phases two and three,” says Hogins.
He says the second phase will be a theme park built along the lines of the Gold Reef City Theme Park in Ormonde, Joburg, but with bigger and more thrilling rides.
The third phase will be accommodation, such as hotels.
“I am excited and ready to introduce the Happy Island Theme Park by the start of this summer season because I feel we can never have enough thrill parks in the country. We all crave a certain level of thrill.
“The imported rides will be bigger than anyone can imagine, and they are going to thrill and entertain. We always accommodate the children, and this is definitely something they have been looking forward to. They just never knew it.”
He says growing the amusement park was important to give back to the surrounding community, as they employ 220 residents from the surrounding informal settlements.
“We offer restaurants that speak to what our modern visitors desire, but this does not mean we have forgotten the people who enjoy braaivleis, mogodu (tripe) and simple township food.
“This is when I thought it was important to look for people who can prepare this kind of food and give them jobs.
“With the theme park coming, the number of employees will rise and more people will be able to put food on the table.
“These are people from the surrounding areas, and it just excites me to see them using their talents to earn a living.
“Developing the community has always been in our hearts.
“We managed to retain all our staff during the pandemic because that’s how important they are to us,” says Hogins.