At last we’ve had some good news out of Christchurch. it seems the danger to Christchurch Adventure Park from a raging wildfire has passed.
The fire ripped through the hills above the park and damaged many of the trails but the village and base station were saved by the hard work of local firefighters. The chairlift cable has also been running through the fires to prevent the build up of hotspots.
This video shows the extent of the damage
Anne Newman, CAP spokesperson, told Stuff.nz: “We haven’t been able to get into the park to properly assess the damage. We know the village and the base station haven’t been touched by fire. Until we can assess, there’s very little else that we can say at this stage.”
The park will remain closed for now but the hope is to re-open before too long. With over 100 staff and a $20 million investment it has confirmed it is committed to Christchurch. The park has also been inundated with public support but it is too early to take anyone up yet. For the latest news follow them on Facebook.
Here’s our original story from Wednesday:
A forest fire is threatening Christchurch Adventure park – the southern hemisphere’s biggest bike park that has been open less than two months.
The Port Hills area fires broke out on Monday afternoon. Up to 40 homes have been destroyed and hundreds evacuated as fires spread down the valley. The flames have also claimed the life of helicopter pilot, 38-year-old David Steven Askin, who was killed while fighting the flames.
Yesterday, the fires spread into the Christchurch Adventure Park. The $24 million bike park was only opened on 16 December and houses 50km of downhill trails, it also played host to the New Zealand Open just last weekend. At 880 acres, it’s the southern hemisphere’s largest bike park and has New Zealand’s longest chairlift.
