Norway 08/23 – Hunderfossen Eventyrpark
That wasn’t much of an installment, so let’s go again.
Next it was a long morning drive to Norway, a little more off the beaten track than usual – they have more than one amusement park you know. Hunderfossen had intrigued me for quite some time though it is often the victim of being left off an itinerary for ‘better things’, on paper.
Day 3 – Hunderfossen Eventyrpark
Up in the scenic hills there’s a pleasant natural beauty to the place. The location on the side of a valley gives this ever present view of the greenery on the far side, on this day coupled with some moody clouds. You could believe that trolls lived here.
First attraction on the agenda was the new-ish #1 Fyr & Flamme. The name alone sealed the deal for me, with the train design being the cherry on top. It’s very nicely presented, the titular characters appear to be stars of a kids TV show and while the coaster completes its two lap circuit, guests waiting in the station are treated to a little video sequence and accompanying music.
Intrigue got the better of us next, with that age old question of ‘is it a dark ride?’ A highly themed barn scene stood separately to an animatronic farm show.
Beyond that was a tractor ride, Traktorbanen, with some outdoor decorations, stopping points and what turned out to be three separate ‘indoor scenes’, in which a projected video would play, telling a story of a rooster tracking down his chicks.
In summary, yes.
The moment we’d all been waiting for was further along the bottom of the park. #2 Il Tempo Extra Gigante is one of those names you just have to have in your coaster collection. The fact that the train looks ridiculous only enhances that. The only downside is that it’s a Force One clone, but at least it was riding better than the OG counterpart these days.
I had been rather excited to try the award winning simulator Reodor Felgen’s Hyperakselerator, from what little I had learnt about it beforehand. A short queueline full of curious contraptions on posters leads to an elaborate pre-show room. Various farm-inspired gadgets adorn the walls and ceiling and these are all linked together in a mousetrap-type sequence. These sheep eat from the tubes, something spins, something inflates, you get the picture. Meanwhile on screen, another set of animated TV characters including Mr. ReFe himself talk about some invention they’ve got going on. Soon enough it’s time to hop aboard.
As with the coasters, they’ve gone above and beyond with the presentation of the ride vehicles here, which look rather fantastic. The big red button is used at one point in proceedings, though sad to say the simulator itself is a bit something and nothing. Some things felt a little off, exaggerated happenings on screen far outweighed the overly timid range of movements of the vehicle making it harder than usual to suspend the disbelief. Beyond that the perspective was a little confusing. The implication surely is that the guests are riding the contraption itself, but you’re also following one of the/the contraption on screen as though you’re more of a fly on the wall, or a floating third person camera. This is most notable when the vehicle up in front gets perilously suspended on a frozen cliff edge and you just sort of slide around to the side of them, and then turn to face them, unphased. Hard to describe in words really, but it confused me.
Talking of things that were a little off, how’s about a wax museum with Hitler looking shiftily through a window?
Not to worry, you can’t go wrong with a ride name like Trollfallet. This impressive and elaborate building can be entered in the upper regions via a little forest walkthrough.
A pre-show room and further indoor walkthrough, with highlights like these little rats appearing, set a fairytale scene before boarding a small drop tower in the dark. As the ride reaches its summit, a lit scene of a princess at a spinning wheel slides into view. You’ve come to save her, but hall of the mountain king, here comes the troll. Drop.
Silly, but effective. And I think this picture alone speaks a thousand words.
Also housed in the depths of the same building is a trackless Sally dark ride I’d never heard of being talked about before, Eventyrslottet.
It takes a lengthy trip through very many individual fairytales, ranging from castles to villages to troll caves.
It runs rather slow to fit all the storytelling in though, being narrated in the local tongue, this meant it lacked a certain dynamic for ourselves at the very least.
We only learnt after the fact that you can apparently slip the operator a fiver and have it put in English. Oh well.
Though a more relaxed pace than usual in such a pleasant environment, time was a-ticking and there was one more attraction on the list left to tick off. Is it a dark ride?
The new for 2023 4D Musikkfabrikken houses an elaborate pre-show featuring a self-playing piano positioned against a projection and made to look like these elf things are virtuosos, with one more bumbling one causing shenanigans in the background.
Inside the cinema itself, things get more than a little confusing this time. An animated baby introduces us to a world where music and rhythm are seen as wisps of colour, before the video changes to an actual human experiencing the same phenomenon while washing dishes in an industrial kitchen. They break the dishes, get fired and depressed, walk home in the rain, catch the eye of a girl on rollerskates, go to bed, get up, find a magical factory outside their house, enter said factory and get sucked into the machinery, conduct an orchestra a la Philharmagic (with all them colours again), meet the girl again who works there or something, get given a lab coat. Dance number. Fin.
In summary, no.
Had some pizza in a decent food establishment near the entrance before hitting the road. A mixed bag in the end, but I enjoyed the place for the character and charm, the creds, and the troll. Worth a look for sure.