New 13.5m water slide and pools planned for Hanmer Springs

Monday, 19 November 2018

An artist's impression of a new 13.5m water slide planned for Hanmer Springs.

A 13.5-metre water slide is planned for Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa.

The slide will send riders shooting down a winding hydroslide in two-person tubes, before going down a steep drop that propels them up a near-vertical wall for a moment of weightlessness before zooming back down onto the slide's finish.

The $4.5m development at Hanmer Springs is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Plans for the $4.3 million development, announced on Monday, also include five new thermal pools.

The water slide will attach to the existing hydroslide tower and sit next to the SuperBowl, where the complex's AquaPlay area currently is.

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa general manager Graeme Abbot is excited about plans to develop the complex next year.

More pools and a 13.5m high water slide are due to be constructed next year.

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General manager Graeme Abbot said the new additions would add further appeal for visitors.

'We are always looking for ways to improve and these additions will add to both the bathing and fun-filled elements of our business.'

Abbot said the plans were environmentally sustainable.

Half of the energy required to run the new pools and slide would come from a heat transfer unit using energy which is a byproduct of the complex's new electricity generator. The pools were designed to be water efficient with no holding tanks, while new construction techniques would enable the pools' foundation to sit above ground and not damage tree roots below, Abbot said.

The five new pools will sit among river boulder terraces and native gardens on what is currently a grassed area next to the Rainbow Pools.

The complex has lodged a resource consent application for the development with the Hurunui District Council, which will be a publicly notified process.

Construction of the new pools and slide is expected to start in April 2019, with the opening scheduled for late 2019.

Last month the complex introduced its new 65-kilowatt Capstone micro-turbine generator, which converts previously wasted methane gas into electricity, winning the Innovation category in this year's EECA Awards.