Kiwi Water Park: How Emily Rutherford Built NZ’s Biggest Inflatable Water Park in Cromwell

Emily Rutherford founded Kiwi Water Park on the shores of Lake Dunstan in Lowburn, Central Otago, New Zealand’s largest inflatable water park. What started as a seasonal family venture has become one of the region’s most popular summer attractions, drawing visitors from across the South Island.

The setup

The park is a temporary installation, inflatable obstacle courses anchored on Lake Dunstan each summer, with no permanent structures on the lakefront. That is a deliberate choice: it preserves the natural beauty of the site while creating a business that runs entirely within the summer season.

Located 45 minutes from Queenstown and 30 minutes from Wanaka, the park sits in one of New Zealand’s most visited regions. There is no Wi-Fi by design. The point is to be in the water, not on a screen.

What makes it work

Kiwi Water Park is a small family business operating in a market dominated by large tourism operators. Its advantage is specificity: there is nothing else like it in the region. Families, school groups and tourists looking for something active that is not a bungy jump or a jet boat have limited options in Central Otago. The park fills that gap.

Safety is central to the operation, the park runs structured sessions with supervision and the temporary setup means every season starts with a fresh installation and safety check.

A seasonal business model

Running a business that only operates for a few months of the year has its own challenges: all revenue has to come during the summer window and the off-season is spent on planning, maintenance and marketing for the next year. It is a model that suits the region, Central Otago’s economy is built around seasonal tourism and Kiwi Water Park fits naturally into that rhythm.

For more on seasonal and small business models in New Zealand, see our Small business ideas guide.