Eden Park's new attraction is a hair-raising ride on a zip line. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Eden Park's new attraction is a hair-raising ride on a zip line. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Sitting on the edge of the stadium's rooftop, wind cutting through a hot and sunny Auckland morning with nothing between him and the green grass 35m below, radio host Paul Flynn felt more frightened than he'd expected.
This morning Flynn, of Stace and Flynny's weekday show on the Hits, was trying out Eden Park's newest attraction, a 50m zip line going across the stadium.
Tackling the zip line was terrifying at first but a special experience, Flynn told the Herald.
"It was pretty incredible."
A huge rugby fan, Flynn said the location added a special something to the experience.
Paul Flynn of The Hits trials the the new Eden Park Stadium zip line. Photo / Jason Oxenham
"To fly over a place where I know the All Blacks have won the World Cup twice … it was really special."
He took a lift and climbed a ladder to reach the top of the stadium's roof, where clear views to the Sky Tower, Mt Eden and One Tree Hill could be seen.
Flynn had bungee jumped in Queenstown and done a zip line in Melbourne before - but the past experience did not stop nerves from kicking in.
"While I was sitting there waiting to go [the fear] was getting worse and worse."
Then, with a whoop, Flynn was off over the side, rushing through the air and across the stadium ground.
As soon as he was in motion, fear made way for a thrilling ride.
"When the fear factor is high enough it makes the experience better," Flynn said.
After rushing with speed from the North Stand to the South Stand, Flynn came to rest in the middle of the zip line above the centre of the pitch before being lowered to the ground.
Paul Flynn of The Hits on the exhilarating zip line at Eden Park. Photo/ Jason Oxenham
The 35m high zip line runs across the length of Eden Park and can be tried for free by locals tonight at the stadium's annual Christmas barbecue.
The newest feature at the iconic spot is a joint initiative between the Eden Park Trust and Total Property Services (TPS), who are discussing which days to run the activity before international and national fixtures at the stadium.
Hours of operation are yet to be decided beyond tonight's trial.
Riders have to be manually lowered at the moment, but division manager and height access specialist Thomas Croft said he hoped to get a winch system in soon to speed the whole process up.
Croft has been working long hours pulling the project together, working constantly through the last week or so in the hot summer sun on the top of the stadium roof with little in the way of shade.
He has been doing this kind of thing for more than three decades, and was a senior rigging manager at SkyCity for years.
Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner said the stadium was a "bucket list" destination for cricket and rugby fans, and discussions for running the zip line as an ongoing attraction were under way.
The possibility of guided rooftop walks along the edge of Eden Park were also being explored, Sautner said.
TPS has "a long relationship" with Eden Park, TPS director Ash Taylor said.
The company had looked after height requirements and key projects like the Rugby World Cup Spider Cam.
Naming rights for the zip line are yet to be confirmed and any businesses interested were asked to make contact with Eden Park.
