“We are seeing good numbers through the doors without getting to capacity, which is better for customer experience,” Page said.
“The refurbished area of the park around Tiny Town and Wonderland Mini-golf is being well-received, and we are seeing more people using those areas throughout the day.
“Kids love playing on the splash pad in Tiny Town, exploring the buildings and the new musical trees and car.
“The train was also another popular feature of the park because it is an experience that can be shared with the whole family.
“We hope the good weather continues for those planning their visits later in the season.”
Last season brought far less sunshine, with Hawke’s Bay facing a wet, cold summer and even rare snowfall on the Ruahine and Kaweka Ranges on January 5. The prolonged poor weather led councillors to close Splash Planet 14 days earlier than scheduled.
At the end of January 2025, visitor numbers to the water park were down more than 15,000 on the previous season and revenue fell by $558,000.
The council said at the time that effective operations management at Splash Planet cut costs by $232,000, reducing the loss to $326,000.
Pool visitor numbers
Havelock North Village pools have had 10,000 people through the doors so far this season, up 4000 on the same period last year.
This doesn’t include user groups.
Visitor numbers at Clive are the same as the last financial year to date, with 12,000 visitors for both periods, while Flaxmere is down 2800, with 5000 visitors so far this season compared with 7800 a year ago.
A council spokesperson said this was mainly attributed to a maintenance closure last year.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.