Tourists will be able to soar over Cornwall Park on the new zipline.
Tourists will be able to soar over Cornwall Park on the new zipline.
Auckland's most iconic volcanic cone is to receive a makeover - with a high-flying zipline to be erected on One Tree Hill.
Tourists and thrillseekers will be able to whizz down the side of Maungakiekie at speeds of more than 190km/h on the zipline, passing over Cornwall Park before comingto rest in a paddock, 800m from the volcano's summit.
Adventure firm AJ Hackett Bungy Auckland has now received resource consent to start building the new tourist attraction. It is expected to take six months to complete.
"We've waited long enough for a decision on whether a single tree will be replanted on the summit - so we decided to run with another idea," said AJ Hackett Bungy Auckland spokeswoman April Fuller.
At the highest point of the zipline, riders will be more than 180 metres above the ground.
Although the actual zipline has been approved, the company has yet to receive resource consent to build a landing pad - and might strike issues with the Auckland Council.
"We are looking at options for this," said Fuller. "We have spoken to the farmer who looks after the animals in the park. He has suggested that he could redirect 500 of his sheep into the landing paddock.
"From there, tourists could grab one as they fly into the area - and enjoy a soft, very Kiwi-like landing."
