A Port Hills fire that started on Monday , 13 February 2017 on nearby Marleys Hill had by the following evening reached the boundary of the Christchurch Adventure Park . It was one of two fires on the Port Hills , which were being fought by many helicopters with monsoon buckets and fixed wing planes . One of those helicopters crashed on 14 February at Sugarloaf , killing its pilot . During Wednesday , the fire had burned down the hill within the Christchurch Adventure Park , and four to six fire service crews moved in at 2100h to try and save the park 's village and base station for the chairlift . On Thursday morning , information was given that the buildings and the lift had survived the fire . Vicki Anderson , a journalist with the Christchurch newspaper , '' The Press '' , put the situation into context with regards to the city 's recovery after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake : The Rural Fire Authority handed the park back to the operator on 10 March . The park operator clarified that the remedial work was not going to be a quick process , as there is extensive damage to trees , their root system , and damage to the chairlift and zip-lines . Before a reopening date could be set , the operator would have to work with the land owner and their insurance company . Due to risk of rock and tree fall on much of the sloped land , the operator has not been able to assess the damage fully , but announced that " it 's not going to be a quick fix " . Much of the damage is worse than initially thought , and the lift 's 36-tonne haul rope will have to be replaced . Many of the trees will have to be felled , and fire breaks cut by the firefighters have also caused much damage . The operator has laid off 30 staff , many of whom were on fixed-term contracts
Port Hills fire
2017 Port Hills fires
Christchurch Adventure Park