TIKI-WAKA

In May 2022, TIKI-WAKA made the news because of an incident that had nothing to do with the ride's technology and everything to do with guest behaviour. In the queue, a visitor climbed over a fence and walked along the edge of a canopy above the water, heading toward the track while the coaster was operating. A bystander filmed the action. According to that eyewitness, TIKI-WAKA kept running throughout the incident and several cars passed while the man was close to the ride; the coaster reaches 55 kilometres per hour. The article matters because it highlights a different side of the attraction's safety history. TIKI-WAKA is designed as an accessible family coaster, but its surroundings remain an active rollercoaster environment. Unpredictable guest behaviour can turn that setting into a dangerous situation very quickly.

Three years after opening, TIKI-WAKA appeared in a different kind of news story: recognisability. Freizeit-Land Geiselwind announced a new exotically themed family coaster for 2022 called Taka Waka. Because of the almost identical name and similar theme, fans immediately connected it to Walibi Belgium's TIKI-WAKA. Looopings asked Walibi Belgium for a response, and the park answered with dry humour. A spokesperson said it was always easier to copy ideas than to invent new ones, while also joking that only A-brands get copied. For TIKI-WAKA's history, the article is interesting because it shows that the ride had developed a strong identity by then. Its name, Hawaiian tone and Gerstlauer bobsled formula had become recognisable enough to serve as a reference point beyond Walibi Belgium itself.

In August 2019, TIKI-WAKA suffered a notable technical incident. During a ride, Looopings reported, a car did not have enough speed to complete the course and ended up rocking back and forth in a curve. After evacuating the attraction, staff used a cable to pull the vehicle back toward a horizontal section of track. Eyewitnesses said passengers were stuck for around half an hour. Walibi Belgium did not confirm the precise cause, but referred to a technical malfunction and stressed that guest safety had been guaranteed throughout. The rescue operation temporarily closed off a large part of the park, including the nearby Challenge of Tutankhamon. For the ride's history, the article matters because it documents a rare operational disruption on a coaster otherwise positioned as an accessible family attraction.