The council-owned location opened to the public for the first time in nine months on Monday, with a steady flow of excited guests entering through the orange arches this week.
But on Thursday it was announced the capacity limit, introduced for the season to enhance guest experience, had been reached for November 25 due to some large group bookings.
“There are no on-the-day sales available for this date. Apologies for any inconvenience,” a social media statement read, much to the surprise of many.
Aquatics manager Tom Page told Hawke’s Bay Today the park was working to a capacity of 3000 people, excluding under 3s.
“We have a few large groups like the district school patrol bookings, which are taking up some big chunks of capacity on certain days prior to the end of the school term.
“After this Saturday there is still plenty of capacity, approximately 2000-plus on all days.”
It was unusual, Page said, that numbers were high during this period.
“At this time of year, we do not normally see visitor numbers that reach the set capacity.
“It will be interesting to monitor this as we move into the peak period from Christmas through to the end of January.”
To avoid disappointment, he strongly advised people to book in advance, “if you are fixed on the day you want to come”.
Page said the first week of opening for the park had gone pretty smoothly, with no major incidents, and people were enjoying the new renovations.
“It’s been great seeing the customers enjoying themselves in the park. We have noticed a lot more people making use of the newly developed area at the front of the park with the Jungle Jeeps and Tree House playground,” he said.
Splash Planet is now open to the public after a nine-month closure. Photo / Paul Taylor
It’s a mix of old staff and new staff manning the slides and rides.
“The staff are having fun learning their roles. We have quite a few who have worked previous seasons but for most it’s their first time, they are all supporting each other, which is nice to see.”
Page said if the weather was good, the park would likely be busy come the peak of summer.
$2.4 million was allocated this year to help fix up the ageing theme park, which opened as Fantasyland in Easter 1967 before rebranding as Splash Planet in 1998.
Hastings District Council caused an uproar when it closed the facility prematurely this year due to a significant staffing shortage, despite originally intending to keep the park open on a weekend-only basis.
“It’s fantastic to be open for the season and to be able to welcome everyone back to the upgraded park,” Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said.
“It’s really looking great, all the work that’s been done has given the facility a real lift and we’re sure our local community and visitors will have a wonderful time when they visit.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.
