A tourist attraction created to entertain and bring joy to visitors is celebrating its 50th birthday with free entertainment and special deals this Sunday (December 17).

Puzzling World, which first opened with a single-storey maze in 1973, now attracts more than 200,000 people each year. It’s a popular tourist stop for visitors and local families who come to experience the maze, as well as the wide range of ‘illusion rooms’ that are now part of the Puzzling World experience. 

Puzzling World operations manager Duncan Spear said the front-lawn birthday celebration, which is open to the public, will feature food, ice-cream, live music, lawn games, face painting, discounted entry “and we’ll even launch a brand new illusion room or two”.

There will also be a separate VIP event to honour all the people - from artists to sculptors and architects to staff - who have been involved in the half century-long history of Puzzling World.

The first Puzzle Centre - with just five puzzles and one table.

Puzzling World began all those years ago as the brainchild of Stuart and Jan Landsborough. Very early on in their relationship, Stuart and Jan had discussed owning their own business.

The couple agreed whatever they decided on needed to satisfy three criteria: it should be in the tourism industry, designed to entertain and, lastly, it should be “that little bit different”.

“All we wanted was a business… where we could work together and that really and truly would be something that would be a pleasurable thing to do,” Jan said.

“So Stu said, ‘What about something like a maze?’, and I said ‘Yeah, absolutely!’” 

In a town with a population of just 800 at the time, it was a gutsy proposition, but the seed had been planted.

More than 500m of over-bridges are added to the maze, making it a world-first ‘3D’ maze.

As the town grew, both in population and tourist numbers, so did the popularity of Puzzling World as a destination.

Stuart and Jan’s daughters, now business owners, at the Four Leaning Towers in 1993.

Puzzling World’s offerings also expanded over time - first with mini golf, then the puzzle centre, and later the first of many illusion rooms - all of them with that same initial goal, to provide fun and entertainment.

In 2004 the next generation took over the business.

The ‘Leaning Tower of Wānaka’ was added to the front lawn in 1999.

Duncan, who is married to one of Stuart and Jan’s daughters, Heidi, said there’s lots to look forward to in the next 50 years at Puzzling World, including “enhancing the existing product and continuing to create world-unique experiences”. 

PHOTOS: Supplied