Splash Planet is an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

and water park located in the city of

Hastings, New Zealand Hastings (; mi, Heretaunga) is an inland city of New Zealand and is one of the two major urban areas in Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of the North Island. The population of Hastings (including Flaxmere) is (as of with a further people in H ...

. The park was opened in its current form in 1998.

Fantasyland

Fantasyland first opened in Easter of 1967. It contained several attractions, including a miniature railway,

mini-golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is playe ...

, a steamboat ride, play structures, and flat rides. By the 1990s, the park was beginning to show its age, and the Hastings District Council proposed that it be redeveloped into a waterpark. At the time of its conception the council had decided that the park would be a money spinner and was certain that it would supplement the taxes that local residents paid. The park was also hoped to attract people from outside the region to visit the region and spend money not only at the park but also at local business within the city.

Construction

Construction of the new waterpark facilities was done by Alexander Construction, a local company who has worked on many other large attractions within Hawke's Bay. Work began in July 1998, and finished before the new year, taking only 4.5 months to complete. This was done at a cost of $4,700,000.

Referendum

Before Splash Planet left the drawing board the Hastings District Council put the decision on whether or not Splash Planet would be built to public referendum. The referendum outlined a number of policies in an attempt to gain the locals' confidence. These policies included the fact that Splash Planet would be self-sustaining and would not cost the taxpayers any money.

Financial Woes

Despite being sold to rate payers as a money making venture plash Planet will lose about $800,000 in the current 2009 fiscal year. In fact, the soon-to-be-released LTCCP projects it will lose about $800,000+ each year for the next ten years that’s $8.3 million. Covid19 and staffing issues forced the park to close for a period and close early exacerbating losses to rate payers.

Attractions

The park contains several wet and dry attractions.

"Wet" attractions

* Double Dipper - Inline tube slide * Super Cruiser - Open body slide * Sky Tunnel - Enclosed body slide * Master Blaster - Heated open/enclosed body slide * Sky Castle Screamer - Pair of racing body slides * Never Ending River - A

lazy river A lazy river is a water ride found in water parks, hotels, resorts, and recreation centers, which usually consists of a shallow () pool that flows similarly to a river. There is generally a slow current, usually just enough to allow guests to g ...

* Bumper boats * Indoor heated pool

"Dry" attractions

* Fantasyland Express - A miniature railway ride originally part of Fantasyland * Formula Fun Karts - Go-karts * Jungle Jeeps - Motorized jeep racing, slower than go-karts * Flying Fox - Two 40 meter flying foxes * Mini golf * Tiny Town - Young children's play area *

Beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...

* Pétanque

Former attractions

*Pirate Ship- a play structure that was burnt down by arsonists in 2015. The ship, built mainly by volunteers and an original attraction when the park was first established as Fantasyland in 1967, was ablaze when the first of three fire crews from Hastings and Napier arrived after the alarm was raised at 6:01am.

Battle of Hastings Paintball Event

In late 2013 a major paintball event known as the Battle of Hastings took place at Splash Planet. It drew players from around New Zealand to compete in massive paintball battles. The event was held again in October 2014

References

{{reflist Water parks in New Zealand Amusement parks in New Zealand 1967 establishments in New Zealand Amusement parks opened in 1967 Hastings, New Zealand