By WAYNE THOMPSON
Waitakere City, famed for its wild west coast surf beaches, could soon offer surfers a softer, artificial alternative.
A wave-making installation called a Flow Rider is on the list of attractions proposed for the $12 million upgrade of the city's Aquatic Centre in Henderson.
The $1 million installation is wanted for its success as a crowd-puller at overseas aquatic parks, says centre manager Doug Guthrie.
"With it you can simulate surfing and snow-boarding and skate-boarding motion."
Waitakere would be the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to have one if it was installed in stage two of the upgrade in 2003.
Flow Riders use powerful pumps to generate a thin sheet of water that flows over a padded wave form.
Surfers on bodyboards can drop in on their own unbroken wave, feel the power and slide down, carve a turn, and ride up the simulated wave surface.
Wave shapes vary according to which model is installed, but the Retro Rider model chosen produces a "dynamic breaking wave," according to manufacturer Wave Loch.
The Retro Rider can take 300 people an hour and has been hailed for its safety because the participant is on a bodyboard and moving slowly over a padded surface.
Ride the artificial waves
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