Kokpunkten - The coolest indoor water park you’ve never heard of 18th July 2022

[Gazza]

https://www.parkz.com.au/attraction/kokpunkten

Kokpunkten was a place I found out about a year or so before my trip on Blooloop.

In a sentence, it’s an old power station that has been turned into an indoor water park and hotel, and given an ultra modern renovation and lighting package.

I love it because someone clearly had a clear big vision in their head about what it was going to be, put together a couple of contrasting things, and the result is really cool.

As a water park, it's not all that big, with only 4 major slides, but there are a few nice spas, whirlpools and interconnected pools you can explore. There's also an outdoor pool on the roof, and the option to do a "VR Dive" in the main pool.

It is located in Västerås, about 100km from Stockholm. I had stayed there the night before, so i was able to sleep in and spend the morning there before heading to the capital.
The park has free go pro rental if you sign up to their "Club", though you are asked to come back to the counter a little while after opening after they have cleared the entry crowds.

As for the rides.

Black River

Never in Australia. The slide is more of a channel, with about a 30cm deep flow of water that is quite turbulent, so you are carried by the current. The layout felt like a bunch of quick s bends with the occasional longer turn. What makes it wilder is that its essentially in a big dark room, so you are just being tossed and turned, bumping against the walls. No rafts or anything, it's like canyoning.

The ride alternates modes, lights off is pitch black and not for the unconfident.

Lights on is still mostly dark, but you have the odd  bit of pipework and uv paint that is illuminated.

Even getting out of the slide exit and paddling against the backflow is an effort

 

Inside out is one of these "Magic Eye" tube slides. Essentially an oval shaped cross section and a fairly shallow gradient, so its more about length than speed. In some ways it feels like the child that comes from the marriage of a lazy river and a raft slide.

Had some cool daylight rings on the way down as well.

There is the option to ride with a waterproof VR headset. The way it seemed to work is that there are transponders at various points on the slide and they are used to track your position.

 

Boomerang

This was a Boomerango type slide, but built by Wiegand rather than Whitewater West

Just like their toboggan runs, it's made of stainless steel.

This was the highlight, felt quite speedy. On other types of this slide you go down the drop, into the quarter pipe, over a little hump and then glide to a stop. On this one you carry heaps of speed over the hump and get funnelled into a couple more turns before the splashdown (also done at high speed). Hard to describe, but if feels almost scary the speed at which you hurtle into the last bit, almost like if you were going slightly off angle you'd smack into the walls or flip yourself. But of course the precision engineering has you 'threading the needle' quite well.

And of course, you can't beat the setting!

 

The other attraction is Double Racer

Another stainless steel Weigand slide. The low friction means you build up heaps of speed, so can make the ride as wild as you like.

Having drops at the start helps make it fast from the get go.

Note too the LED neon strips. There is a timing system and the LED strips glow green over the lane of the rider coming first at that point in time.

Transparent section too, but barely noticeable.

Overall, it's worth a look if you are in the area. A few more slides wouldn't hurt of course!

I had wanted to combine it with my day at Skara Sommarland which would have been perfect, but on the days i was there the opening hours didn't quite line up.

 

Photos here

https://www.parkz.com.au/search/photos/location/kokpunkten

Edited November 11, 2022 by Gazza

[New display name]

I had the same idea for the Bruce Bishop Car Park, many years ago.

[Jobe]

Great to see the use of such a large disused building being repurposed in such a way!! That certainly does take vision!! Oh and money- lots of it!!

However there are quite a few disused Power stations that are sitting idly just rotting away here in Australia. This would be a perfect use for one or two of them- there are not too many indoor water parks in Australia with this scope!

One that i can think off that is ripe for reutilisation is Wangi Wangi Power Station on Lake Macquarie. Its a heritage listed structure that is still currently up for sale. 

https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7508843/wangi-power-station-up-for-sale/

 

This could be a win win for the area and a unique first for Australia. But it would certainly take a huge investment. Great idea and Kokpunkten shows that it can work!. 

Anyone know of any other sites that an idea like this could feasibly work in Australia?