The Maze of Emergency Services

Imagine taking your family out for the day and ending up meandering through a fire engine, walking into a police car, searching for the way out of a rescue helicopter, and finishing up with a run through an ambulance. You can do it all and more at the Amazing Maze ‘n Maize.

The Amazing Maze 'n Maize in Karaka, Auckland is a giant maze carved out of a 4 hectare field of maize (or animal corn) and has just opened for the summer season. Each season (Christmas to May) we design a new maze with a new theme. This year it is “Amazing Emergency Services” and is a maze made in a huge paddock of maize (corn) with the paths of the maze making a design in the paddock. The maze design this year has a police car, ambulance, fire engine, and rescue helicopter within the pattern, and this can be clearly seen from the air.

Maze goers walk along several kilometers of paths and make decisions at over 100 intersections as to which way to go. Some intersections have "Kernels of Knowledge", or trivia signs about the amazing Emergency Services theme. These not only help people find their way, but they also keep them entertained. Lifeguards are there to assist the truly lost, but taking the provided flag will give visitors peace of mind in the maze.

The Amazing Maze approached Rowan Carroll, Director of the NZ Police Museum. A suggestion that as this year is 75 years since women could join New Zealand Police and given constabulary powers that it may be a cool theme for some of our “kernels of knowledge”.

NZ Police Public Affairs have also given their approval for us to include some of their educational material.

The Amazing Maze features a viewing bridge within the maize maze where visitors can see the huge expanse of corn that they are walking through. Parts of the design can be made out from the bridge but the real picture can only be seen from a plane, helicopter, or by using a drone as we have.

Visitors can pick up a puzzle booklet which includes a quiz with 20 questions; the answers to which can be found in the maze. Another puzzle has you looking for 10 letters in the maze which when unscrambled spells an important Emergency Services message.

There is a massive water slide at the maze which is a huge hit, plus lots of simple family fun games and activities, including a mud kitchen for the little ones.

The Amazing Maze 'n Maize was planted in October, the paths were marked out in November, and many laborious hours were spent making sure the design looked perfect from the air. December is spent putting all the trivia posts, seats and tables into the maze, and making sure the pattern works perfectly for the ideal time of 50 minutes to complete the maze. After 16 years of operating the Amazing Maze the owners have found that 50 minutes is the ideal balance of challenge, but enjoyment, for all ages.

Every Easter during each of the four days, and on Sunday night the Amazing Maze has a giant Easter Egg hunt through the maze. Around 50,000 eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny and this has become a tradition for many families.

Adjacent to the Amazing Maze is CornEvil, the strictly R.16 horror maze operated by Spookers and open Friday and Saturday nights.

The Amazing Maze is open every day until April 30th from 10am – 4pm. (weather permitting)

See http://www.maze.co.nz for details.

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