Skating fun comes to Whanganui

There were plenty of smiles - and a few bumps and bruises - as a touring ice-skating rink opened in Whanganui on Tuesday.

The ice-skating rink - which is actually made of polyethylene - will be open to the public between 3pm and 8pm every day (except Thursday, when it will be open until 7pm) until Saturday, at Whanganui Girls' College.

Principal Tania King said the rink was a fundraiser for the school, and was brought to Whanganui by the school's Parent Teacher Friends Association.

Half an hour after the rink first opened, around 15 children and adults were having a spin on the ice - some more confidently than others.

Nine-year-old Kate MacPherson said the rink was "really fun".

She's from Britain and has skated on rinks there before. "It's really good that I'm able to skate in Whanganui," Kate said.

Uli Falkner brought her 7-year-old son Jakob along for his first attempt at ice skating.

"I used to ice skate as a young girl in Germany, but that was a long time ago. I think this is a great idea - although it would be nice if it was real ice," Mrs Falkner said.

Robin de Goeij from Ice Skate Tours said the surface material was very similar to that which plastic chopping boards were made from.

"It has a very similar glide to real ice. But it is much easier to manage - it doesn't melt, so it's much more consistent than ice."

Mr de Goeij said the other major advantage of the plastic rink was that it was much easier to transport than one made of real ice.

"We've brought the rink to many small communities around the country, and it's been really successful," he said.

+Tickets are $13 per adult, $7 per child and $35 per family. Price includes hire of helmets and skates.