Hi everyone,
I'm new here but a long time reader of the forums and a huge fan of the Gold Coast theme parks.
I live in New Zealand, and unfortunately we only have one 'real' theme park here; Rainbow's End. Although it's definitely not up to the standard of other parks overseas, and is quite small in size and number of attractions, personally I still think it is a great park with lots of potential. I don't see much regarding Rainbow's End here on Parkz, so I thought I would just let you all know about a few developments the park has recently completed.
A few months ago, the 'AA Driver's Town' opened in the area where the old cinema 180 used to be. I checked it out a few weeks ago, and although obviously intended for young kids, it's still a good addition to the park and the facades and other details like traffic lights look really good.
Rainbow's End also has a new modern front entrance and ticket booths which are a huge improvement over the old front gate where there was only one lane into the park!
I also came across this article which is an interview with the CEO of Rainbow's End, Chris Deere. https://blooloop.com/features/going-for-gold-at-rainbows-end-how-kidz-kingdom-changed-the-theme-parks-fortunes/ He mentions how he wants to incorporate virtual and augmented reality into the park, as well as possibly adding a dark ride.
If you're ever in the Auckland area, I really would recommend a visit to Rainbow's End because it is a good park; but don't have your expectations too high because it's definitely not on the level of Movie World or Dreamworld in terms of number/quality of attractions. My favourite rides at the park are the Stratosfear (Zamperla Discovery Revolution, does a 360° rotation), the Gold Rush (a small coaster through an abandoned gold mine, with animatronics and decent theming) and the Enchanted Forest log flume (it's a charming little ride )
Rainbow's End still has it's Arrow double corkscrew coaster (same ride as the Sea Viper), I believe it was built in 1986. It still seems to be running fine, but I would be happy if the park decided to remove it and replace it with a new coaster; obviously there's not much land (or money) to work with, but it would be a step in the right direction to help really transform the park.
I'm interested to hear all of your thoughts on Rainbow's End and if you have any ideas for future attractions that could be possible for the future. I'm looking forward to being involved here on Parkz!
(Photos from Rainbow's End's Facebook page)