Film clip: building roller coaster at the Centennial Exhibition

Building the roller coaster

Still shots and description

First frame is a title card: 'Commencing Construction of the Cyclone Ride'. The opening scenes are of the huge skeleton of one of the 'big dippers' on the roller coaster; at this stage it consists of a wall of scaffolding and metal rods. A few workmen are happily walking around near the top on what look like very narrow planks - the slow movement of the clouds above suggest that Wellington's famous winds are in abeyance, which is probably just as well for the workers. We then see the roller coaster during the next construction stage, as the wooden rails and cross planks are attached to the top of a metal framework. At one point a small aeroplane flies overhead. A panoramic shot shows the half-completed structure twisting off into the distance then looping back on itself like some giant taniwha washed up on the shore. In the background we get a clear view of the Miramar hills (stripped of vegetation and with only a scattering of houses) with the mighty Orongorongos looming behind. The clip finishes with more construction shots and some close-ups of the timber work.