Rainbow’s End

Kids love it! well worth the people traffic jams!!!

Theme park fun! Have been a few times over the years and enjoyed it. Great range of thrill and fun rides for everyone to enjoy.
The newest Stratosfear is great fun with the 360 degree complete rotation with both a less extreme and extreme version for any ride-​go-​er thrill-​seeking level (and to cater to those of smaller heights). Neat swinging and rocking motion with feet in the air.
The recent Power Surge ride is one of all motions where your seats rotate in the air on the vertical and horizontal axes. A must do for those who love being in mid-​air with legs dangling.
The Invader is an interesting looking ride where you sit on a disc that spins round and round on a funny coaster-​type track that curves up and down on the horizontal. An interesting stool-​like seat with a back harness. Good fun!
Ahoy there matey– The Pirate ship is a classic for the simple rocking motion as well as the undercover Dodgems that always have a line but one that moves at decent pace so you can sit in and crash into anyone and everyone to your hearts content in no time.
Family Karts are perfect if you have to take someone below the height limit for the single rider karts. They have a great track with decent twists and turns and the kart goes quite fast! A neat driving, race-​track sort of feel. The Corkscrew Coaster is always popular with the complete loop and double corkscrew. Worth the wait for sure!
Interesting Bumper boats– perfect for summer. Fun but a bit difficult to navigate on the water. There is also a moving, seat-​belted theatre chair with a large screen 4D movie in the Motion Master– with a short movie that changes occasionally.
The Fearfall allows you to get a breathtaking 18-​storey high view with a panic-​inducing pause before the drop. Difficult to scream when the speed takes away your breath. Came off laughing a bit hysterically– but it was worth the feeling. Definitely recommend, unless you’re height-​phobic. The Enchanted Forest Log Flume is another classic, going through the inside of a mountain and a plunge downhill with a photo to capture the moment (not guaranteed to be attractive however)
Definitely worth a visit– avoid the school holidays if you want to guarantee a car park and don’t want to wait in lines.

As Auckland/NZ’s only proper theme park, you could say Rainbows End has a bit of a captive audience. Given that the nearest alternative for those seeking a theme park experience is a flight to the Gold Coast, they can pretty much charge what they like, and they do! Around $ 50 entry for what is not a big theme park by world standards feels a bit of a rip-​off to me, especially on the summer days when the crowds are big and the rides aren’t exactly plentiful so you don’t get a whole lot of rides in for your money. That said, there are certain rides that I will always find fun no matter how much better their equivalents are overseas. I will always enjoy the Corkscrew Coaster, I will always enjoy the Fear Fall, the Log Flume will always be fun, and the Pirate Ship does funny things to your insides. Way overpriced and inconveniently located for most, but still undeniably fun when you can get it on a day with short queues.

If you have kids, waiting for them to be old enough (or really, tall enough) for Rainbows End is sweet anticipation. It IS Auckland’s only theme park and therefore we just have to love it for what it is.
Which is during the Summer, busy, full of queues and requiring patience. The rides have gradually increased which is good because for the money this place costs, there needed to be more. There still does need to be more, particularly when it comes to lunch options.
For full value for money you need to arrive early as a good part of the day will probably be spent waiting. This means for lunch you can have crappy food from Place A or shitty food from Place B. Can’t knock the ice cream shop but unfortunately it’s not really lunch is it?
Also, and this makes me particularly mad; they now close at 5.30! I have fond memories of staying here til 10pm and riding in the dark. They do have upcoming Night Rides events coming up during March but seriously, at least Fridays and Saturdays should be late nights — having to leave at 5.30 during summer is just wrong.

When I was little, I used to freak out on the Log Flume at Rainbows End every time, when that *thing* (I can’t remember now whether it was a ghost or clown or what?) pops out near your log and does this creepy laugh thing. I’m not actually sure if that’s still there, as I haven’t been to Rainbows End in a while, but was that really needed?!
Rainbows End is a novelty here in little old Godzone, being pretty much the only amusement park like it in the country. Because of this, they are always quite busy and there are often long winding queues to get onto the rides. They do have a range of different rides, including a roller coaster, gold rush (a western-​style cowboy gold mine ride), log flume and pirate ship, as well as an arcade and rides for little kiddies. By far my favourite thing there are the Bumper Boats. These provided by far the best entertainment when I went to Rainbows End as part of a high school trip. Bumping someone you don’t like so hard that they fall into the water is amazing.
Overall, this place does provide a good day out, but if you’ve been to theme parks in Australia or Europe, you probably wont find it *that* impressive.

Being practically the only major theme park in the country, it can be a drive to get to Auckland’s Rainbow’s End. I’m somewhat lucky to only live a short ten minute from this place.
There are enough rides to keep you busy throughout the day and have an extra go on your favourites. It can get extremely busy and the queues pile up, but most rides accomodate for 20 people at a time, i.e. The Power Surge and The Invader– both great rides!
There’s an arcade where, if you’re like me, will get sucked in easily and spend even more money collecting tickets for assorted prizes. Their food is on the expensive side, so bring small snacks with you that aren’t too much of a hassle to carry. My favourite places to eat are the ice cream parlour and the candy floss stop on the way to the Log Flume.
The price has increased over the years and a few rides have been added, but no one should be going into Rainbow’s End expecting a once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience– you’ll only be let down. Instead, take some friends and family and aim for a fun day out on a few rides, it’s much more enjoyable with that in mind.

Went to Rainbow’s end with a bunch of my have girls just to enjoy some time out and to do something different. I walked out of Rainbow’s end knowing that one is never too old to scream on the fear fall.
It was an amazing time to bond, eat junk, laugh and enjoy some rides. If one decides to go to Rainbows End it is only right that they go on each and everyone of the rides. The rides maybe a tad on the scary sides but I can assure you that screaming helps, and having a hand to hold.
Rainbows end could do with some renovations here and there, maybe just a paint job of some of the rides. Otherwise I am loving the new rides there.

Went to Rainbow’s End for a Hen’s Party event — it was really fun! Not something we would have normally done anyway, so it was a great day out. We didn’t think we would be into all the scary rides, but ended up taking a YOLO approach to the day and did them all anyway!
Tips: Take your own picnic, although there is a café. Be prepared for long boring queues.
It was very expensive though — $ 51 each, and they would not give us a discount for a big group. Given the price, I would not take my children here until they are much much older, but it was a fun place to go as an adult. Friendly, safe and clean environment.