Famed for their fun and frolic, the celebrated Waiwera pools, though exist no more, continue to spread joy as some of the water slides now embellish a Northland adventure park.
In a riveting announcement, Adrenalin Adventure Park kindled the curiosity of their visitors through cryptic social media posts, promising an exhilarating sojourn through history. Sharing images of disassembled slides, the park aimed to revive a time-honored fragment of New Zealand’s heritage, that once resonated with countless happy families.
Guests were swift in their accurate assumption that the famed Waiwera slides were set to grace the Adrenalin park. Giving credence to these speculations, park owner, Cody Rouse, informed that, indeed, four slides from the nostalgic location were being refurbished.
In what seems like a testament to their durability, slides popularly known as Bob’s Mistake and The Black Hole, along with two others, were found to be in optimal condition, needing minor restoration. However, the widespread anticipation for the inclusion of Waiwera’s most emblematic slide, the Twister, came to an unfortunate halt, as it was demised beyond repair by miscreants.
With the demolition of Waiwera in sight, Rouse astutely discerned an opportunity to safeguard a significant part of New Zealand’s antiquity. After productive discussions with the site manager, he headed to Waiwera at the break of dawn, to forge a beneficial deal.
Rouse, along with his dedicated team, diligently labored for extensive hours, stretching over more than a month, to carefully dismount the slides, showing respectful cognizance for the demolition team’s schedule.
This intensive labor led to acquiring slides, that ordinarily cost between half and a million dollars, at virtually no cost. Rouse supplied only the manpower and the fuel for the machinery employed in their extraction.
Gleaming with anticipation, Rouse believed these new additions would tickle the nostalgic chords of visitors, attracting a fresh flood of clientele.
While Rouse was optimistic that the linear slides would be functional by December, the more complex ones with curves, like the Black Hole, he conceded, will need more time. However, he assured their readiness by next summer at the latest.
Housing these history-steeped slides, Adrenalin Adventure Park, located on Lake Edwin in Northland, is set to throw open its gates for the summer season in the approaching weekend.
In the meanwhile, the demolition of the once-iconic Waiwera pools continues since August this year. These pools, out of service for over half a decade and on sale for sixteen months, were envisioned to be resuscitated. However, the chilling reality of extensive vandal-inflicted damage got in the way, as stated by Greig Staples of the owners, Urban Partners. Left in a nonviable state post-liquidation of the operators in 2018, the property deteriorated further due to unchecked vandal activities, leaving it valueless for a potential buyer. Today, ridding the area of the dilapidated remnants of past glory seems to be a community favor in Staples’ view.
