The Tier- und Freizeitpark Thüle in northwestern Germany has officially opened Maui’s Peak, a new family launch coaster that becomes the largest roller coaster investment in the park’s history. The attraction welcomed its first guests on July 11, adding a new headline ride to the combined zoo and amusement park resort.
Located in Friesoythe, Lower Saxony, Tier- und Freizeitpark Thüle has steadily expanded its amusement offering over the past two decades. While the park remains primarily known for its animal exhibits, recent investments have increasingly focused on rides and themed attractions aimed at families.
ART Engineering launch coaster
Maui’s Peak was manufactured by German ride company ART Engineering and is described as a Family Shuttle Launch Coaster. The attraction features two launch sections and a vertical rollback element, sending riders forwards and backwards through the layout. According to the park, trains consist of six cars with a total capacity of twelve passengers. The attraction is accessible to children from 95 centimetres tall and four years of age.
The coaster is themed to a tropical island setting and forms part of the park’s growing Polynesian-inspired area. The attraction’s name references Maui, a figure from Polynesian mythology, while the surrounding area incorporates tiki-inspired architecture and landscaping.
Maui’s Peak is the fifth roller coaster at the park and joins an existing collection that includes the Wiegand-built Lost World family coaster and the Gerstlauer children’s coaster Hilly-Billy Race.
Part of a larger expansion strategy
The new coaster is not a standalone addition. It forms part of a broader development programme that has gradually transformed one section of the park into a themed destination.
In 2024, Tier- und Freizeitpark Thüle opened Tiki-Tahiti-Adventure, an indoor dark ride supplied by Aufwind Group. The attraction introduced the tropical theme now being expanded with Maui’s Peak.
The combination of a dark ride and a family launch coaster represents a significant step for a park that traditionally relied on smaller family attractions and animal exhibits. According to earlier reports, the overall investment connected to the development is estimated at approximately €22 million, making it one of the largest projects ever undertaken by the park.
A growing destination in northern Germany
Tier- und Freizeitpark Thüle occupies a unique position within the German leisure industry. Unlike larger regional theme parks such as Heide Park Resort, Movie Park Germany or Hansa-Park, Thüle combines a traditional wildlife park with a growing collection of rides and attractions. The park currently operates several roller coasters, water rides, playgrounds and themed attractions alongside its zoological facilities.
Over the past decade, the operator has increasingly invested in attractions that encourage longer stays and attract repeat visitors. The addition of Lost World in 2022 marked one of the first major steps in that strategy, while Maui’s Peak significantly raises the park’s profile within the German family attraction market.
New chapter for the park
The project was first revealed in 2023 when park management announced the purchase of a new roller coaster during IAAPA Expo Europe in Vienna. Nearly three years later, that project has now become reality.
Although Maui’s Peak is aimed primarily at families rather than thrill-seekers, the attraction introduces launch technology and a shuttle coaster layout that are rarely found at parks of this size. Combined with the nearby Tiki-Tahiti-Adventure dark ride, the new coaster strengthens Thüle’s position as one of Germany’s fastest-growing regional leisure destinations.
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