Floating inflatable fun park with ecological twist to open near Christchurch
A new aqua fun park not only aims to bring a summer of fun to Kaiapoi but will also teach children about ecology.
The WHōW charitable trust has been granted consent to operate a 160-metre inflatable fun park on Courtenay Lake.
Kaikanui Aqualand will open on Saturday and run until the end of March. It has consent to operate from October to March each year for the next three years.
The aqua park has been six years in the making and is a transitional project to build support for the trust’s other main project – the development of a whitewater, surf, and cable wake park next to the Kaiapoi River in the east regeneration area.
A single 50-minute session at the fun park will cost $30, but WHōW vice chairman Jason Mill said a youth price would soon be available, as well as early-bird specials.
He said children from low-decile schools across the area would be offered the chance to play at the park for free. They would also be given an ecology lesson at the same time, and would have the opportunity to plant trees around the lake.
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
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17.4% Yes
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58.7% No
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23.9% In some areas ...
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