Billund: Perfect bliss for blockheads

Legoland Billund has something for the child in all of us, says Leah McLennan.

"That's the Statue of Liberty," a child tells his mother.

Doesn't he know we're in Denmark? I think to myself.

But sure enough, just in front of my feet stands New York's most famous lady - made out of 400,000 Lego blocks and rising high above Miniland.

If there is a heaven on earth for kids, I've found it.

Legoland in Billund is three hours by train from Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, and consists of a 10ha park with rides, entertainment and enough bricks to build an entire Lego-sized world.

It also has its own bank, post office, tourist office, hotel and airport. Well, Denmark is the birthplace of Lego.

There are three other Legolands dotted around the world - in England, Germany and the United States - but this is the largest and oldest.

The park opened in 1968 and has over 1.6 million visitors annually, making it Denmark's largest tourist attraction outside of Copenhagen.

The one-off entry price (around $90 a head) covers the park's rides and access to all the theme zones. And there's a lot to cover if you only have one day, like me.

I seem to be the only adult at the park without children, but luckily in Legoland there is something for all ages.

Duploland is for the little kids, the Mindstorms Robotics Centre is perfect for the teenagers and Miniland is an all-round crowd pleaser.

Miniland is the world in miniature where you can see famous buildings and environments - all built from 20 million Lego bricks.

My first ride is on the Lego Safari in a zebra-striped jeep among the life-size Lego animals of the African savannah.

Usually each little truck takes two children, but I ride alone - my hips just squeezing into the jeep.

Knees around my ears, I nearly sprain my neck trying to photograph every giraffe, gorilla and elephant I whiz past.

Stepping up the adrenaline stakes, I line up behind some teenage boys for the Power Builder.

Reading the notice warning people with heart conditions to proceed with extreme caution, I grow increasingly nervous.

But soon enough I'm scrambling into one of the cages that hangs off the end of a giant mechanical arm. Once locked into my seat brace, I'm thrown around in all directions at 60km/h. Delightful.

I emerge ghostly white with windswept hair.

The rest of the afternoon is spent on less frenetic rides in Wild West Land.

As I attempt to get on the canoe trip for the fifth time, the friendly man supervising the ride turns me away.

"It's 6pm," he says.

"Where has the time gone?" I ask.

When the rides finish for the evening, you can still stroll around Legoland and enjoy the sights for another two hours before it closes.

Feeling like dinner, I cross the road to Hotel Legoland.

This is the park's official hotel and is so close that you can practically roll off the roller-coaster into the bar.

Inside there are Lego creations everywhere you look, from Darth Vader in the lobby to an assortment of firemen, pirates and knights in the corridors.

There are bricks on the wallpaper and bricks in the light fittings. The staff are extremely friendly and the receptionist is most obliging each time I pass and ask her for another souvenir Lego pen.

She also kindly turns the sauna on for me so I can warm up before dinner. After baking for a bit, I check out the bar - a sleek Scandinavian affair with wooden floors, colourful chairs and a log fire.

I enjoy a glass of wine as a life-sized Lego pianist, dressed in a black Lego suit, hammers out some tunes on the grand piano. The only drawback to a Lego pianist is that he doesn't take requests.

Moving to the dining room, which looks out on to the Danish forest, I order from a stylish menu, finishing with

a Death-by-Chocolate creation. Like everything else here, it comes in the shape of Lego. I put the blocks together to build a chocolate tower and try to fit it in my mouth.

There is something magical about Legoland that can turn the most mature of adults into children.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Air New Zealand flies to Heathrow, London via both Los Angeles and Hong Kong, call 0800 737 000. From Heathrow you can fly direct to Billund (the airport is right outside Legoland's main gates) with Scandinavian Airlines.

Where to stay: Stay right in the middle of it all at Hotel Legoland, or for cheaper hostel-style accommodation, try Legoland Village. There is also camping available at a large camping ground 500m from Legoland. See billundcamping.dk.

Further information: See legoland.dk.

- AAP