Park Profile
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OCEAN PARK
Disney wasn’t in the picture, there probably wouldn’t have been the same motivation to do something so big and bold as we have with the Master Redevelopment Plan.
There was, before I arrived, some serious discussion about moving the park off the headland [Summit] and bringing it down to the lowland area [Waterfront]. Allan Zeman, who had just been brought on board as chairman, heard about this and said, “Look, what you have created with what nature has given you is beyond compare and if you bring everything down to the lowland you are just going to be another theme park on a level piece of land, meaning you could be anywhere; it’s no longer uniquely Hong Kong.” Allan was very quick to say we were not giving up the headland, and I agreed. We needed to find a way to work with the framework we had. Part of that meant moving a million cubic metres of dirt and creating a new level platform up there. It was a very ambitious and bold move on our part but I think the new Summit area has made the park easier to traverse and to experience. Obviously, the Ocean Express improves access to the two touch points as well. Our guests are now staying longer and exploring more.
Making a Masterplan Preliminary work on the Master Redevelopment Plan had begun before I arrived at Ocean Park. After working on some ideas with another company from the United States, we brought in Robin Hall and Philip Vaughan of Vertex Productions in 2005. Next we brought on board a storyteller, a creative individual named Adam Bezark. The three of them sat down with our team and came up with a story, a common thread to guide the design process and maintain continuity of experience. As we were no longer the only game in town and were operating in a much more competitive environment, we set about identifying our differential
Hong Kong people’s park completes transformation
values – our location, topography and animals, plus the conservation, education and entertainment components that the park was founded upon. Ultimately, I wanted to focus on the multi-generational value of the park; meaning people that came here as children would now be bringing their own children. I felt there was something very powerful in that, especially as Disney was coming into the market and didn’t have that generational linkage yet. When it came to designing the various areas of the park, we did it from the perspective of offering different climatic or geographic zones as you travel the world, such as Polar Adventure and the Rainforest, along with a little more fanciful theming in Aqua City. In assessing our past, we reviewed our name, Ocean Park, and yet you never saw the ocean until you got on the cable car, so we wanted to bring more water into the picture. We opened the story with Aqua City and the Lagoon, and then you get fantastic offerings like the giant pandas and other Asian animals. I think we used to have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3,000 fish in Atoll reef, we now have 5,000 in our Grand Aquarium. We have two
What do you get for
The Ocean Express now links the Waterfront to the Summit in just three minutes
SEPTEMBER 2012
HK$5.5 billion? Ocean Park’s HK$5.5 billion (US$710m/€565m) Master Redevelopment Plan (MRP) was completed in eight phases and called for the doubling of attractions from 35 to 70. Yet one of the biggest challenges was retheming and improving access between the two distinct areas that make up the park. The former Lowland, where all visitors now enter the park, has been redeveloped into the Waterfront, while the old Headland, high up above Aberdeen Harbour, is now known as the Summit. Linking them is the Ocean Express, a fully themed funicular transport system opened late in 2009 as a result of extensive tunnelling between the two areas. Alternatively, guests can still enjoy the scenic 1.5km cable car ride that traditionally linked the Lowland and the Headland. Awaiting visitors inside the Waterfront is Aqua City, showcasing a three-tier Grand Aquarium, various Amazing Asian Animals exhibits including Giant Panda Adventure and a redeveloped children’s area called Whiskers Harbour. Each night after dark, a spectacular water and laser show called Symbio brings Aqua City’s Lagoon to life. Additional attractions in this area include the tethered SkyStar Balloon and a custom-made Sea Life Carousel courtesy of Wood Design. Although it was not officially part of the MRP, Ocean Park management also took the
The breathtaking cable car ride from the Summit to the Waterfront was the only link between the two until the Ocean Express opened in 2009
The Grand Aquarium
opportunity to transform the former Cable Car Plaza into a themed area called Old Hong Kong. Leading off the Waterfront, it features street scenes, shop fronts, food outlets and games influenced by the city of yesteryear. Once they have reached the Summit, guests can enjoy new themed areas such as Polar Adventure, integrating both North and South Pole environments as well as a Mack rollercoaster called Arctic Blast. In a total contrast of theme, the Rainforest featuring Expedition Trail and an Intamin Rapids ride. Close by, at the very summit of the Summit, the high energy Thrill Mountain features the Hair Raiser floorless B&M coaster and carnival- style rides such as The Flash (Mondial Ultra Max), Whirly Bird (Chance Aviator), Rev Booster (SBF Musik Express) and Bumper Blaster (IE Park bumper cars). Areas that have been retained include Marine World and Adventure Land, featuring Ocean Theatre and various thrill rides in addition to new animal exhibits like Sea Jelly Spectacular and Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium. Linked to the Summit by a hillside escalator, Adventure Land used to give way to a further area of the park at Tai Shue Wan, but this has now been cleared to make way for a second- gate waterpark, scheduled to open in 2016. Together with the Ocean Hotel and Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel, these new additions will mark the next stage in Ocean Park’s development as it becomes a multi-day destination resort.
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