Fun, laughter, speed and lots of water marked the opening of the Trippo Slide at Tekapo Springs today

Shrieks of laughter could be heard from the other side of Lake Tekapo today as locals, guests from the tourism industry and dignitaries experienced The Trippo Slide at Tekapo Springs for the first time.

oday (November 1 2013) saw the world’s largest inflatable water slide unveiled for the first time outside of the USA and local mayors Mackenzie District Mayor Claire Barlow and Timaru District Mayor Damon Odey were two of the first to jump on board and slide down the Trippo.

Officially opened by Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism CEO Tim Hunter at a VIP ceremony today, the Trippo Slide launch was then opened up to invited guests and their families who got a sneak preview of the attraction.

Mr Hunter said it was “a fantastic afternoon” and “great to see families getting together and enjoying themselves”.

“The Trippo really adds something unique to the Mackenzie District tourism offering. It’s lots of fun,” Mr Hunter said.

Tekapo Springs General Manager Cathy Hemsworth said the day went “amazingly well” and it was great to “finally see the slide being enjoyed by local children and their families”.

“People couldn’t get enough of The Trippo. All you could hear was “let’s do it again” as children scrambled to re-join the line.”

“This weekend’s public launch is going to be crazy fun, we can’t wait.”

Winners of the More FM and Port FM competition to be the first to slide down The Trippo at today’s event were the  Beechey and Young families who will now spend the weekend in Tekapo. Their prize included a family pass to Tekapo Springs for this weekend, 2 nights’ accommodation at Peppers Lake Tekapo in a 3-bed apartment with breakfast daily, and dinner at Kohan Japanese restaurant in Tekapo.

Pricing for The Trippo Slide, which opens to the public from tomorrow until end March 2014, will be $20 per adult and $15 for children up to 16 years for a single entry all day pass.

Tekapo Springs is an established tourism business on the shores of Lake Tekapo and provides year-round activities and fun for all the family. It has won numerous tourism and business awards since its inception just six years ago, including Category and Supreme Winner at the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Awards 2010 and Tourism Category Winner at the 2013 Awards.

This year Tekapo Springs were finalists in the Champion Canterbury Awards – the biggest regional business awards in the country.