Waimarino Adventure Park will celebrate its 40th anniversary as one of the Bay of Plenty's leading kayaking and tourism ventures this Labour Weekend.
The park, on the Wairoa River near Bethlehem, Tauranga, was established in the mid-1970s by Barry and Barbara Anderson, whose vision was to teach kayaking to people of all ages. Director Blair Anderson, who took over Waimarino with his wife Charlotte in 2003, said the park "is now a very different place".
Waimarino began with six kayaks and a small wooden shed and has grown to a multi-faceted venture with 160 kayaks and 30-plus staff, which provides after-school and holiday programmes and a riverside wedding facility.
"It's quite gratifying that we've had several generations of local people through Waimarino now," said Mr Anderson. "Some started by learning kayaking with my father Barry as kids and have now come back here to get married."
In the year ending June 2015, visitor numbers grew by 15 per cent on the previous year to more than 20,000 visitors. Waimarino kayak tours, run in both Tauranga and Rotorua, also grew, up 33 per cent increase to 3000 clients who came in search of a "soft adventure experience".
