Is Rainbow's End Still Relevant?
By staceyk
| Published Sunday, 16 August, 2009 |
1 Comments
I was highly surprised Rainbow’s End didn’t make it onto C4’s list of 100 pop-culture moments, to me; it has been an icon of pop-culture since it opened in 1982. I hadn’t been since I was 8-years-old so decided to investigate this travesty with three friends and a camera in tow, asking the question, is Rainbow’s End still relevant?
Globally, amusement parks have always been an icon of popular culture, right through the decades. While they started out with just food, entertainment, freak shows and simplistic rides, as technology and (disputably) taste have progressed, what is amusing has changed. Now you can get thrown upside down, fly through the air and subject yourself to terrifying, horror themed ordeals, all in the name of fun.
New Zealand’s answer to amusement parks is small scale and quaint compared to its older brothers and sisters in the USA. Nestled between a mall and a motorway in South Auckland, it’s often touted as one of New Zealand’s biggest attractions.
It opened 28 years ago with only a few attractions, but since then has added attractions, each new addition more high-tech than the last - easy enough considering the earlier attractions were video games and bumper boats. In 1986 it added New Zealand’s first rollercoaster but little was added to the park from then till 1992- standards slipped and it looked like it was going to go into oblivion, but then new owners pulled it out of its depression and kept adding to it, bringing it back as a relevant form of entertainment.
I asked the park’s general manager Chris Deere if it is still relevant. “I definitely think so…it’s reached an iconic status everyone knows about it, it’s gone through a lot of challenges but it is here to stay.”
Mr Deere believes its ongoing popularity is down to the fact it can appeal to everyone.
“It’s generational, people that came here when it first opened, when they come back they notice it has changed and evolved and they bring their kids.”
He says it’s a good family day out, and for some a form of escapism from these gloomy times.
For some in my group it was escapism from hangovers. Our first destination was the Pirate Ship. When I was eight, I was the kid who demanded the ship stop so I could get off trembling. So it was with great satisfaction I conquered the ship this time round.
My favourite ride has always been the not-so-scary Log Fume, which was built in 1984. It made my friend Jo nervous, but all was forgiven when we went through the Enchanted Forrest inside the tunnels. This is another one that brought back memories of my sister teasing me by rocking the log and making me think we were going to fall out and drown.
The bumper cars were another highlight, especially the charming man who waited in front of us in line, telling his kids “I’m gonna smash yous”.
The worst experience of the day was on the Power Surge, proving people’s obsession with cheating death has gone too far. I was convinced I was going to die; it's like being picked up and thrown around carelessly by a big robot. While on the ride, Dave pointed out if you were plummeting to your death that would be how it felt.
I could have gleefully spent the whole day at the park, but with time limitations we managed to fit in most things in three hours.
So is it still relevant? Well the crowds there on a winter’s Sunday afternoon would say yes, and it wasn’t just kids, there were bum-bag and Bermuda shorts wearing tourists, groups of teenagers and groups in their 20s, including us who all decided, despite all the other offerings we have for entertainment, if you can afford the entry fee, Rainbow’s End is definitely on our top pop-culture entertainment lists.