Christchurch Adventure Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christchurch Adventure Park |
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Adventure Park Village
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| Type | Adventure Park |
| Location | Cashmere, New Zealand, Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Area | 358 hectares (880 acres) |
| Created | December 2016 |
| Operated by | Christchurch Adventure Park |
| Open | Autumn hours: Weekdays (except Tuesdays): 11:00am - 7:00pm. Weekends: 10:00am - 7:00pm. Closed Tuesdays |
| Status | Opened to the public on 21 December 2016 closed since 13 February 2017 due to fire. Reopened to the public 6 December 2017 |
The Christchurch Adventure Park is an exciting adventure park located in the Port Hills of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built by a Canadian company called Select Evolution. The park first opened its doors to the public on December 21, 2016.
This huge park covers about 358 hectares (that's like 880 football fields!). It features a long chairlift that's 1.8 kilometers (about 1.1 miles) long. When it first opened, the park had over 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) of downhill mountain bike trails. It's known as one of the biggest adventure parks of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Sadly, the park had to close on February 13, 2017, because of a big wildfire nearby. Most of the trees in the park were destroyed by the fire. The chairlift and ziplines were also badly damaged. But after a lot of hard work, the park reopened on December 6, 2017, about ten months later.
What's at the Park?
The park is located in the Cashmere area of Christchurch. It's surrounded by Dyers Pass Road, Summit Road, and Worsleys Road.
A key feature is the 1.8 km (1.1 mile) long chairlift. This lift can carry up to 1,200 riders and their bikes every hour. It takes you up 435 meters (about 1,427 feet) in height.
The park also has four sections of zip-line, with two of them being 1 kilometer (about 0.6 miles) long! When the park first opened, the chairlift gave access to 50 km (31 miles) of downhill mountain bike tracks. These tracks have different levels of difficulty for all riders. There's also a restaurant at the park that can seat 180 people.
The park planned to add a mountain coaster by December 2017. They also planned to build accommodation with 110 beds. Eventually, they hope to have 220 beds for visitors to stay overnight.
How to Visit the Park
In October 2016, the park sold 1,500 special passes. These passes gave people early access and were valid until September 2017. They cost NZ$759 and sold out in just three days!
Annual passes cost NZ$1199. Day passes are NZ$80, and a single chairlift ride costs NZ$25.00. It's free to enter the park and ride the bike tracks. The passes are mainly for using the chairlift. You can also go on the zip-line tours, which need a separate booking.
The Mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel, officially opened the park on December 21, 2016.
In September 2019, four new intermediate bike tracks were opened. By December 2020, the park had built 33 different mountain bike trails. In 2020, 100,000 riders visited the park. The park is considered one of the top new facilities built in Christchurch since the 2011 earthquake.
Park Closure and Reopening
A large fire started in the Port Hills on February 13, 2017. By the next morning, the fire had reached the Christchurch Adventure Park. Firefighters worked hard to control the blaze.
On Thursday morning, it was confirmed that the park's main buildings and the chairlift base station had survived the fire. However, much of the park's tree cover was destroyed.
The park was handed back to its operators on March 10, 2017. The damage to the trees, chairlift, and zip-lines was very extensive. It was clear that fixing everything would take a long time. The park operator announced that the damage was worse than first thought. For example, the chairlift's heavy haul rope needed to be replaced. Many trees also had to be cut down.
The park remained closed for ten months. A lot of work was needed to repair the chairlift and three of the zip lines. The park finally reopened in December 2017. At first, only three mountain bike trails were open.
The park had to close again in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdown. It reopened in mid-May 2020. After this, the park changed its prices, making annual passes cheaper and allowing children under ten to enter for free.
Images for kids
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Base buildings, Christchurch Adventure Park (2021)
