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Brendan Coghlan’s enthusiasm for ninjas prompted him to include a ninja warrior course in the new Matakana playground.
A top adventure playground that has delighted visitors to Paihia for the last 15 years opens with numerous additional features at the Matakana Country Park this month.
Country Park owners Brendan and Kim Coghlan, had long admired Action World Paihia and the thrill it gave their children. They made a point of visiting at least once a year. Brendan was determined that Matakana should have an equally impressive attraction and contacted Action World owners, Carol and Freddy Osler-Weppenaar, to see if they could help him set up a similar playground at the Country Park.
As it turned out, Carol and Freddy were about to retire and offered to sell their playground.
Brendan says Rainbows End was also interested in acquiring it, but he was lucky enough to get in first.
The relocated playground is known as Action Ninja World Matakana and covers an area of 3500 square metres, in a paddock behind Bramble Café. It includes a trapeze, Tarzan swings, a bungee run, a high wire, maze, jousting bridge, climbing wall and an inflatable water slide that Brendan believes is the largest in the southern hemisphere.
Other elements to those featured at Action World Paihia have been added, including a zorb soccer pitch and a ninja warrior course – where falling contestants land on airbags rather than in a pool of water.
“That came about after watching Australian Ninja Warrior on TV and thinking ‘wow, that’s cool’,” Brendan says. He adds that the ninja craze is the fastest growing sport in Australia.
Visitors to Country Park can bring a picnic to the playground and barbecues will be available. There will also be an ice cream and coffee cart.
Day passes to the park are $20 for those aged 13 and under, $25 for students and
$30 for adults. The park is expected to remain open until the July school holidays, then close for three months and reopen in October.
