Forced into a new home, Napier's big red slide is thriving

Krish Morris, left, Malakai Lyford, Zephyr Lyford and Leo Kirkland enjoy the SuperFly in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

Home is where the heart is, but in Rick Kirkland's case, it's where the SuperFly is.

It was touch-and-go for the big red slide which had called a site in Pandora home for the past four years, but due to new site construction, it had to move.

Mana Ahuriri offered a new spot in Prebensen Dr to set up the 12m-high slide and there's certainly been no shortage of visitors.

Kirkland turned down tempting offers from two passionate locations outside of Hawke's Bay, but emphasised that Napier was always the place that the slide should stay.

"We're really stoked to be in this particular spot and 90 per cent of people that are coming to us are regulars.

"It's the holiday makers that we're trying to work on next. When we were at the site at Big Save, people would drive by and see it, but it's a bit harder to connect with those people."

Kirkland said the SuperFly had a big fan base with 6000 followers on social media and his team were reaching out to them to spread the word.

"We've kicked off during the time of the year where everything is closed and we haven't really been able to get any information out. So far we've just been focusing on getting it up and running."

L-R Leo Kirkland, Krish Morris, Malakai Lyford, and Zephyr Lyford on the SuperFly in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor

Kirkland said the resource consent from the Napier City Council came through at 4pm on Christmas Eve. Although the location had changed, the influx of visitors had not, he said.

"I think we're about where we should be and it's a very well supported community. Sometimes you get situations where every single picnic table is full and you can't move and other times it's a little more laid back."

Kirkland said he was both thrilled and relieved to stay in the city he loves most.

"We've had a huge amount of loyal support from all our customers, so the last thing I wanted to do was to take it away from them.

"It's just so great to see families active as well. I just see so many kids in the same boat where they're not getting out. When I was young I was sprinting around at the river and climbing trees and with the SuperFly we're actually seeing kids be active."

Kirkland wasn't wrong, with 21 stairs at the back of the slide, it was certainly a workout, probably one that the children did not notice, but adults certainly did.

"A kid can do 40 circuits without stopping, so it's certainly a good workout, kids don't think about that sort of thing when they're having fun."