Christchurch Adventure Park's new ride 'The Rush'. Photo: Christchurch Adventure Park
Christchurch Adventure Park has opened a new ride called 'The Rush', which is being hailed as an industry breakthrough.
The uphill zipline is the first of its kind in the world, according to its Hornby based maker Holmes Solutions.
The Rush had a motorised vehicle with power and speed which gave the rider the ability to go uphill as well as down, and within a few months it would be able to turn corners offering "endless" possibilities, the company said.
They also said they already had plans for the ride to go global with companies in the UK, US and elsewhere.
One of the rides engineers, Chris Allington, told Midday Report the ride could go about 75km/h at its peak speed.
"The key thing is, it does it at a really rapid acceleration, so you kind of feel like your eyeballs are popping out of your head when it takes off."
Allington said experiencing a different type zipline was what made the ride so cool.
"People have done downhill ziplines and have the high velocity that they create, it's an experience people have had - this is just a completely new experience the fact that we can control the velocity and the profile of it as well.
"We have the set up so that it takes off at maximum acceleration, so it's a massive rush when you take off and you start flying, and you really do feel like you're flying when you're that high up in the air on a cable.
"And then part-way up the cable it accelerates again, just when you think it's settled in it takes off again, and then we have it stopping and you're just suspended 100 metres off the ground... then we'll bring you back down nice and slow so you get a good scenic view as you come back down to the launch pad," he said.
Christchurch Adventure Park CEO Anne Newman said she was excited for the to public enjoy the new ride and technology.
"This is home grown tech developed and tested here in Christchurch.
"I am super proud to be part of this project and see it now operating," Newman said.
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