Footrot Flats Fun Park was a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

Te Atatū Peninsula Te Atatū Peninsula (formerly Te Atatu North, also known in Māori language, Māori as Ōrukuwai) is a waterfront suburb of West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland surrounded by the Waitematā Harbour. The area was home to brickworks and far ...

West Auckland, New Zealand {{Infobox settlement , image_skyline = Auckland, New Zealand by Planet Labs (West Auckland).jpg , image_caption = Metropolitan West Auckland captured by a Planet Labs satellite in 2016 , name = West Aucklan ...

. Opening in 1982 as Leisureland, the park rebranded to be themed around the

Murray Ball Murray Hone Ball (26 January 1939 – 12 March 2017) was a New Zealand cartoonist who became known for his ''Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero'' (the longest running cartoon in ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' magazine), ''Bruce the Barbarian'', ''All t ...

cartoon ''

Footrot Flats ''Footrot Flats'', a comic strip by New Zealanders , New Zealand cartoonist Murray Ball, ran from 1976 to 1994 in newspapers (unpublished strips continued to appear in book form until 2000). Altogether there are 27 numbered books (collecting th ...

'' in 1984. During the 1980s, it was the largest theme park in New Zealand. In its final year of operation, the park rebranded as Something Different Fun Park, before closing in 1989.

History

The land where the park was opened was originally purchased by the

Auckland Harbour Board The Auckland Harbour Board was a public body that operated the ports of both Auckland and Onehunga from 1871 to 1988 and was dissolved in 1989. Its successor organisation is Ports of Auckland, which assumed the possessions and responsibilities o ...

in the 1950s, who intended to construct a new Auckland port at the location. The park opened as Leisureland in 1982. After the popularity of the animated film '' Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale'' (1986), the park's management secured a licensing deal with cartoonist

, and rebranded as a ''

''-themed location, where actors would walk around the park dressed as the characters from the cartoon. During the park's heyday, the Footrot Flats Fun Park competed with Rainbow's End, a theme park which still exists in

Manukau Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, ...

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. In the late 1980s, the theme park came across financial difficulties, especially after the

1987 stock market crash Black Monday (also known as Black Tuesday in some parts of the world due to time zone differences) was a global, severe and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. Worldwide losses were estimated at US$1.71 trillion. ...

. Diminishing returns, increasing cost of rent from the council, and a lack of public transport access to the park were all factors which led to the park's demise. In 1988, Safari Land, a theme park and zoo in

Massey Massey may refer to: Places Canada * Massey, Ontario * Massey Island, Nunavut New Zealand * Massey, New Zealand, an Auckland suburb United States * Massey, Alabama * Massey, Iowa * Massey, Maryland People * Massey (surname) Educati ...

, closed and merged with the Footrot Flats Fun Park. This led Safari Land's animals, including lions, tigers and monkeys, to be rehoused at the site. In the same year, the park rebranded as the Something Different Fun Park, and stopped operating in early 1989. The park was formally closed by the

Waitakere City Council Waitakere City was a territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitakere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest city,. with an annual growth of about 2%. In 2010 the council was a ...

in 1991. In May 1992, the council relaunched the venture as Adventure Park West, featuring a wider range of attractions, such as a farm park, circus, botanical garden and children's zoo.

Rides and attractions

A range of rides and attractions were a part of the fun park, including: * BMX tracks * Bumper boats *

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tower, a short-lived attraction * Cannonball Run, a major rollercoaster at the park which opened on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

1985 * Driver’s Town, often the main attraction to the park. Riders would sit written and verbal driver's tests to earn a park driver's license, which allowed them to drive on the attraction. * Go-karts * Gondola * Helicopter trips * Kayak rides *

Laser tag Laser tag is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared-emitting light guns to tag designated targets. Infrared-sensitive signaling devices are commonly worn by each player to register hits and are sometimes integrated wit ...

* Mini-golf * Paintball challenge * Slide * Train ride * Video game arcade * Zoo exhibits

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Footrot Flats Fun Park Amusement parks in New Zealand Defunct amusement parks Tourist attractions in Auckland Buildings and structures in Auckland 1982 establishments in New Zealand 1989 disestablishments in New Zealand Amusement parks opened in 1982 West Auckland, New Zealand