With a wave of summer temperatures hitting Hawke's Bay, locals and holidaymakers have been flocking to the newly revamped Splash Planet — a welcome sight after years of speculation of closing down.
Last year Hastings District Council spent $2.5 million on upgrading the water theme park after a tough time with Covid-19 closures, staff shortages and decades of wear and tear.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst told 1News: "We have this incredible asset, this beautiful place for tourism, we know it was voted the number one destination in the region so we wanted to make sure we looked after it and invested in it."
The facility is now a hot ticket item — more than 30,000 customers have come through the gates since Christmas Day. Things are on now on track for Splash Planet's busiest season yet.
The water park's Tom Paige said they've seen about 79,000 visitors since it reopened in November last year, the majority of which came through during the Christmas period.
"We've had some great weather," Paige said. "Generally we're up to 2000 visitors when the weather is good."
Every pool has been cleaned, new rides have been installed, and old attractions have been updated.
Throughout the revamp, staff have gone through and checked every nut and bolt on the slides, making sure people have a safe, fun ride. And for the thrill seekers wanting to stay dry, the go-carts have also had a much-needed upgrade.
"After 40 years we had to get rid of the old carts and upgrade them with new ones. The new ones are exclusive, the only place in Australasia where you can ride an electric double cart."
Splash Planet is the only water theme park in the country, and has been running for nearly 60 years.
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