SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Imagine standing on a small platform three storeys high, in a chamber a little wider than your shoulders, waiting for that platform to drop out from underneath you, as the howls of other people ring in your ears.
Sound like your idea of fun?
Well, the team behind the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre is counting on it, with this 32,000m2 central Christchurch attraction rapidly revealing more and more of itself behind the fences on Moorhouse Avenue.
The false floor forms part of what is known as a Looping Rocket hydroslide. This a first for New Zealand and one of five slides that will allow Parakiore to boast the biggest and best indoor hydroslide collection in the country once construction is completed around the end of next year.
Crown company Ōtākaro Limited is delivering the facility. It will be operated by Christchurch City Council, who has worked closely with Matapopore on the design of the distinctive black and grey slides that are currently being assembled on the site.
When they are strategically lifted into place on the St Asaph Street and Antigua Street corner in the coming months, these 800 pieces of fibreglass will resemble silver bellied eels in an eel pot. They will serve as visual indicators of Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu identity within the city and ensure that Parakiore becomes another iconic Christchurch building.
Formerly known as the Metro Sports Facility, the name Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre also draws on the rich cultural heritage of the region it will serve.
Parakiore was the son of a Ngāi Tahu chief of Kaiapoi Pa. He is described as a man of great strength and amazing speed as a runner. An apt name for the largest sports and recreation facility of its kind in the country. A facility specifically designed to offer the opportunity for everyone to get active, from toddlers learning to swim to top shot putter Tom Walsh.
And they do mean everyone. Parakiore will also be home to the Aquatic Sensory Experience.
The high-tech multi-sensory environment has been specially designed to cater for people of all ages and abilities.
Multi-sensory spaces are known to significantly benefit people with disabilities. This is because the design of the facility encourages fun, relaxation, intellectual activity, language and social skills in a fun and explorative way. Water-based examples like this are hard to find elsewhere in the world.
So whether you’re an adrenaline junkie plummeting in the Looping Rocket, or after a more soothing and sedate aquatic experience, or perhaps you’re an elite athlete at the top of your game or a battling weekend warrior, Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre will have something for everyone.