One of the biggest casualties of the Port Hills fire, the Christchurch Adventure Park, will reopen on Friday.
Staff are putting the finishing touches to the park's chairlifts, zipline and mountain bike trails after the business was forced to close five weeks ago during the blaze that ripped through 650 hectares.
"We are just so excited to get reopened. You wouldn't have believed it when the fire was going through here that we'd be opening when we are, but we are still here and we are rising from the ashes once again," Adventure Park general manager Anne Newman said.
Newman said without the heroic efforts of Fire and Emergency NZ staff and volunteers, as well as contractors and the community, the Adventure Park would not have been largely spared.
One home was destroyed and dozens were evacuated during the blaze which started on February 14.
Police continue to appeal for information to assist with their investigation into how it started.
"To close and have the fire in the middle of February in the height of our season when we had all the tourists and cruise lines in - plus we had Crankworx that we lost out on - it amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars," Newman said.
In a stroke of luck for one Christchurch family, it's emerged that the flames came within inches of a memorial chair built in honour of their father, passionate mountain biker Bradley Lynch. He passed away several years ago and the Adventure Park was one of his favourite spots.
"It really is a miracle the chair survived, we can't believe it," his daughter told Newshub.
The Adventure Park has had "a turbulent toddler-ship" according to Newman.
It was closed for much of 2017 following a major blaze, which recently saw its owners ordered to pay $14 million to homeowners after a running chairlift fuelled flames.
But she insisted the Christchurch Adventure Park remains viable and said a number of attractions that are "non-bike-related" will open in the next few months.
On Friday, the park as we know it will reopen once again in time for Easter and the April school holidays.
"The one thing people can do to support us and they've offered us so much support while we've been closed, is to come and visit us!"
