A charity behind the world's longest waterslide is promising to do it bigger and better - providing it can raise the $100,000 needed to get it underway in six days.
Live More Awesome, a charity dedicated to raising awareness around depression, needs to sell 800 tickets for the slide by 8pm on Monday to fund the building of the 600-metre inflatable slide after sponsorship fell through.
The slide is to be be made by Nelson-based Aflex Technology, which specialises in making water products and water obstacle courses.
It is much more ambitious than last year's 554m waterslide made by digging a ditch into the side of a hill in Waimauku, West Auckland and lining it with plastic sheets.
LMA founder Jimi Hunt, who first made headlines by floating down the Waikato River on a lilo to raise awareness around depression, said the new slide would be far more comfortable and would be set up on a private farm overlooking Bethells Beach, which had panoramic views. LMA received messages every week from people asking when the next slide would be ready. The organisation also wants to make the Guinness world record for the largest waterslide this time after administration details meant last year's attempt did not make it into the official book.
"We profited about $50,000 off it [last year's slide]. But we literally just dug a hole in a hill. We didn't know what we were doing. The slide wasn't actually that great.
"We had too many people at the event because we didn't know how many people we could put there.
"So all of these things we've learned and this time are going to do a thousand times better. Because last time we spent 95 per cent of the time building the slide, 5 per cent of the time organising the event."
Mr Hunt said there was a mad dash to raise the money so it could be built before the end of summer. The slide is scheduled to be open for just two days on March 28 and 29 next year.
The proposed slide would also be transportable as it could be broken into 20 sections each 30m long, so the charity hoped to tour around New Zealand with it after its Bethells Beach debut.
A founders ticket can be purchased for $199 which entitles the holder to a full-day slide pass and their name on the slide or $149 will buy a four-hour afternoon pass.
Once the money to build the slide was confirmed, a further 800 tickets would be given to the people who raised the most money for the charity to fund three initiatives around promoting mental health at schools and the workplace.
Other prizes would also be available including two flights to anywhere in world, five-star accommodation and an adventure package around New Zealand.
LMA would refund all the ticket money if the slide did not go ahead.
To buy your founders ticket today go to worldsbiggestwaterslide.com