Tag: Vekoma

A magical land in February

Toverland

On my way back from France towards the most beautiful Hanseatic city in the world, after a short sightseeing tour of the city of Cologne with obligatory (once and never again) ascent of the Cologne Cathedral, I went with David and his little brother towards the Dutch theme park Toverland in Sevenum.

Thanks to the Korting voucher there was a lot going on in Toverland, but not so much that one had to wait somewhere, except for the Woudracer. Most of the attractions were running since the beginning of the park, only a few of them changed every half an hour this time. The area around Troy was supposed to open between 12 and 17 o’clock.

Since it was a first for David’s brother in the park we left him the agony of choosing the attractions. At the end of the day Toverland was able to convince him, as he was still haunted by a Schloss Dankern Dejavu when entering the park.

Woudracer

Starting in the second hall, the Wiegand Bobkart Woudracer, which had no queue in the early opening hours, was the first to be given a ride. Irritated by the yodeling sound of the other passengers (even if they were coming from the tape), David’s brother, too, was racing down the track at full throttle.

Booster Bike

In order to keep up the speed rush, a motorbike ride on rails was targeted. Contrary to the copies of Intamin and Zamperla, Vekoma has set value on a relatively true body posture for its Booster Bike. The ride is great fun for a family roller coaster with a launch as powerful as the one of Europa Park’s roller coaster Bluefire and can convince with its combinations of curves. The only thing that minimally reduces the fun is the lack of airtime on the last hill.

Backstroke

As the temperature outside was approaching freezing point, the log flume Backstroke was visited. Extreme soaking if you like, because no matter where I sat I was the only one who got wet. The ride through the metal channel is not the most beautiful of its kind, but due to its special features it is quite convincing.

Villa Fiasco

After a round of Zierer Kontiki we headed towards the first hall, but before that we stopped at the Villa Fiasco. This Fun House is one of the best of its kind and no matter when we came the Ride-Op was happy. He was also a bit surprised when David walked through the house in a speed run.

Boomerang

Once again in the first hall, the children’s roller coaster Boomerang was visited. The way too steep curves still ride themselves a bit strange, but the coaster is still in a class of its own and always worth a lap.

Theekopjes

The rides of the Zamperla company in this hall had a long cycle, but when you ride the wave swinger you wish that this one would finally come to an end. The tea cups spun very well, contrary to David’s opinion (very similar to the tea cups from the Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark Stukenbrock, as well as the tea cups from the Movie Park Germany and Hansa-Park).

Aqua Snake

The rubber dinghy slides can still get you soaking wet, even if it’s only me who’s been hit. I feel a little sorry for the staff at this ride, after all, they have to lift the boats themselves into the starting boxes all the time, which was solved better at other rides of this manufacturer.

Toverhuis

In addition to the many amusement options for small children, there is also an interactive house in this area where you can trigger some effects armed with a magic wand. After a while, the salami spell gets on your nerves, but it is still an attraction worth trying out.

I think the redesign of the first hall is a very laudable project, especially since it still looks like a cheap children’s play hall at first glance. In comparison to the second, much more open hall, as well as to the outside area, there is a clear difference in quality.

Ithaka

Speaking of outdoor areas, here you will find the log flume Backstroke, the above mentioned Vekoma Motorbike Launch Coaster, a horse carousel, a boat swing, an electric horse track, a high ropes course and the wooden roller coaster Troy.

Survival Parcours

If you are used to high ropes courses from Hansa-Park and think the shorter high ropes course from Toverland is easier, you are mistaken. Here you can spend half an eternity until you have climbed the course. For David himself the whole project was finished quickly, but his brother and I did the whole route. We had to do this one, as you can’t just turn around after the first exercise.

Scorpios

In contrast, the electric horse race track was a piece of cake. In the latest extension of Toverland, you can see a certain preference for products from Metallbau Emmeln, who were already present in the park with their teacup/giant wheel/lookout tower combo Twist ‘n’ Shout. The Scorpios boat swing from the same company may be a bit narrow, but it offers funny water effects, a good onboard sound and lots of airtime. The fact that this is only achieved with a wheel as drive is a masterpiece.

Troy

The real highlight in Toverland, however, is the wooden roller coaster Troy, which came to a halt in the meantime because of a lost cap and the resulting failure of the lift. Without this ride you would leave the park quite fast, because you would lose the desire for further rides quite fast. However, since Troy allows you to easily stay seated for 40 laps at a time without suffering a blackout or other physical damage, you spend a few more hours in the park.

The ride turns out to be wild, sometimes a bit aimless and at the beginning quite intense (especially the first curve). However, it is always very smooth. The music in the station can drive you crazy after a few laps, but it fits perfectly to express the mood of this ride and luckily there are several tracks.

 

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Toverland

Some hours in the Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark

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Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark

Since most other amusement parks in the surrounding area had a day of rest on the program, today I went to the Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark in Stukenbrock. Since one could only read very little about this amusement park in the various forums, I was all the more excited to visit the second largest safari park in Germany.

Arrived at the park, I was very positively surprised by the reduced entrance fee on this rather quiet day. As one of the first guests I went on safari. In contrast to the Serengeti-Park in Hodenhagen, the route is much smaller, but you could observe many animals and was undisturbed by the clear view in the morning. The highlights of the tour are certainly the lions and tigers.

Flying Tiger

After the safari follows first of all an excursion through the park to get to the parking lot. The parking place catches one’s eye negatively due to the high concrete walls, but this hardly reduces the overall picture of the park. After a short exploration walk I went to the Super Tornado, alias Flying Tiger. The good condition of the somersault roller coaster with its classic Arrow-HUSS coaster trains catches the eye in a very positive way – the ride itself was ok, but there was some weight missing in the train (after all, the ride was started just for me), so compared to the sister ride Speed Snake at Fort Fun Abenteuerland, the ride was a bit too slow.

Flying Oil Pump

Like many other attractions, the second roller coaster of the Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark was not supposed to open until later. That’s why I was next drawn to the Flying Oil Pump, a Fabbri Cataclysm. The looping carousel with the imaginative name was my highlight in the park. The ride is exciting, fast and fun. Although you are secured with shoulder restraints during the ride, the big game makes for a very pleasant and extremely exciting ride. The many rollovers and the interaction with the second gondola make the ride to something very special and should be tried by each visitor of the park.

Giraffe Tower and Black Fly

The other Fabbri offer of the Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark is somewhat more borderline. At the Giraffe Tower freefall tower, for example, you hang at the top for just under a minute and the Frisbee Black Fly unfortunately hardly swings out at all. Nevertheless Fabbri could convince me of the ride comfort of her rides. Besides Zamperla the second Italian manufacturer who could score points with me.

Teetassen-Karussell

Speaking of Zamperla, there are also some rides from this manufacturer in the Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark. They are a lot more family-friendly, but this should not be missing in such a park. Thereby, the tea cup carousel Teetassen-Karussell is specially worth mentioning with its extremely smooth-running gondolas that can quickly give you a real turning worm.

Kongo River

Also worth a special mention is the log flume Kongo River by the Dutch manufacturer Van Edgom. The Kongo River is not convincing because of its extremely slow lift speed, but it can certainly knock the socks off any passenger because of its descents, the rapids and the enormous airtime in the double drop. A big praise is due to the personnel at the ride, who did not feel too bad to rescue my cap that flew off during the double drop.

Affenzug

Behind the water ride there is a place with some enclosures. Beside a large enclosure with mostly lazy white lions, one could observe extremely active white tigers during my visit. The station of the Affenzug with which one drives over the monkey island is also located here. During the trip, the monkeys climb around the train and can come very close to the visitor – if it were not for the grids on the train. You can also find the frisbee and a water roundabout.

Marienkäferbahn

Close to the Flying Oil Pump there are several Heege motor swings, which have a nice portion of airtime, as well as a water playground, several children’s attractions and hardly slippery slides by Metalbau Emmeln. The park’s second roller coaster, the so-called Marienkäferbahn, is also located here. In a small wooded area, the big Tivoli Coaster by the manufacturer Zierer takes you through the ground level curves of this classic family roller coaster.

Pictures Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark

Closing Words

The Zoo Safari- und Hollywoodpark has a great price/performance ratio. 24€ is quite affordable for what is offered and if you go on a day without shows, like I did, you only have to pay a reduced price (17€50). The rides are (almost) all in a good and well-kept condition and can convince. The park is definitely worth a visit.

 

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Safariland Stukenbrock

A (half) day in Rasti-Land

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Rasti-Land

Not far from Hanover, Hildesheim and Hameln is the Rasti-Land amusement park, which has been in existence since 1973. The park is easy to reach via the main roads and the park fees do not empty your wallet as they are completely waived. After having passed the small tunnel at the entrance to the parking place, one drives once around the park to the park entrance. The first impression that one gets during this drive catches one’s eye in a positive way.

Monorail

Once one has paid the 19€ entrance fee, one finds oneself on the highest level of the park. The park railway (with a total of three stations) and the Mack Monorail await you here. Like the Tour de Fleurs in the Holidaypark, this ride is quite long and has several levels. Here, one also drives through a small dark ride section. The gondolas of the railway partly have a very nice painting.

Märchenfahrt

If you follow the paths to the left past some children’s attractions, you will find yourself on the Mack round boat trip Märchenfahrt. This one goes through the middle of the forest, past some statues. The design of the ride is quite impressive for such a park.

Gokarts

In the immediate vicinity you will find the go-kart tracks, which are mastered here either in single or two-seater. The track is basically an oval with some swings in it. Here one clearly notices that the park embeds its tracks into the terrain.

Koggenfahrt

Since the dinosaur theme area of the park opens at noon, the flat ride Koggenfahrt was tested. The forward ride was rather lame, but not the backward part. The ride is slightly elevated at the level of the surrounding curves of the tube slide next door. The ride also looks good from a design point of view.

Boots-Wasserrutschen

After you have climbed another mountain, you can grab a rubber dinghy and make your way down by either using the tube slides or the wave slides of the Boots-Wasserrutschen. These have a wide choice and are in better condition from the inside than they look from the outside. The disadvantage of the slide is the hill that has to be climbed again after the ride. Unfortunately, the neighbouring steep slides were out of order and it does not seem as if this will be changed in the near future.

Riesenschiffschaukel Santa Maria and Abenteuerfahrt durch die Piratenstadt

Other rides on the mountain are the giant Santa Maria ship swing from the manufacturer Metallbau Emmeln, as well as the dark ride Abenteuerfahrt durch die Piratenstadt, which are extremely convincing. On the dark ride you will not only meet the pirates but also numerous interesting effects and beautiful scenery.

Reifenrutschpiste

To make the descent easier you can use a slide to help you. Once you reach the bottom, you can go up the mountain again armed with a tire and then race down the tire slide track. If the synchronisation of the starting aids is right, you can have an exciting race. All in all we spent most of the time in the park right here – a great fun!

Wildwasserbahn

For the water enthusiasts among us there is a special kind of log flume in Rasti-Land. Most of the Wildwasserbahn was built in-house and only the boats come from the manufacturer Intamin. The course was perfectly integrated into the terrain like almost everything else in the park and can also soak you nicely.

Blizzard

The Blizzard bobkart track makes its way in places above the log flume. The track of the manufacturer Wiegand offers an extremely fast ride with a beautiful curve due to its high speed. However, you have to be able to drive at full throttle during the ride, because you can control the cars yourself.

Achterbahn

The pink painted roller coaster Achterbahn in Rasti-Land is clearly visible from far away. The ride was built by Dutch roller coaster manufacturer Vekoma and is one of the first Junior Coaster rides. The colour scheme takes some getting used to, but the ride is still incredibly photogenic, especially because of its placement.

Im Reich des T-Rex and Wasserschlacht

As it was now far after noon, we could visit the Hafema rafting ride Im Reich des T-Rex, as well as the Mack Roundboatblaster Wasserschlacht. The rafting ride is typical for Hafema and not too short, but the degree of wetness is limited (one does not get out completely soaked). The Wasserschlacht can be a good remedy for this. The round boats provide for an all-round wetness and for defencelessness, should the boat turn at the wrong moment. There is also the possibility to meet the guests of the rafting in some places.

Pictures Rasti-Land

Conclusion Rasti-Land

After a few hours we left the Rasti-Land, which we will remember with mixed feelings. In some places the park is really good, but in other places there is an urgent need for renewal. The staff should be better trained, if you wait for the right moment you can help yourself to drinks for free or go to the park. The waiting times are balanced everywhere, as the visitors are very well distributed.

 

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Rasti-Land