Zirka Circus leaves muddy mess at Lower Hutt's Avalon Park

Circuses and Wellington weather don't mix - if the sight of a Lower Hutt park this week is anything to go by.

Those heading to Avalon Park may come across a scene of muddy carnage after the Zirka Circus cleared out last week.

Damage to the grassy area is covered by a bond the circus pays to the Hutt City Council each year when it visits, but the mess was exacerbated this year by heavy rain, which left circus employees ankle-deep in water.

The seagulls don't mind the state of Avalon Park after the circus came through. Photo/Melissa Nightingale

"We do really cherish the park because this is something we always respect," said circus owner Jeni Hou.

She said it was lucky the team were even able to move the circus out of the park, given how waterlogged and muddy it was after the rain.

"We tried our best . . . that weather at the end really came up to our ankles."

Hou said they put down protection mats to try to minimise the damage to the grass, but it didn't help.

She said the weather was "quite critical this year" and New Zealand weather was "quite unpredictable".

She said the circus took full responsibility for how the park ended up, and would pay for it out of the bond given to council. They felt "very, very bad".

Avalon Park looks more like a lake after heavy rain combined with the travelling circus transformed it into a swamp. Photo/Melissa Nightingale

"We treat the park like more precious than anybody because we're coming back to every place we're going. We're not a one-off business."

The circus was set up in the park for two weeks before packing up and moving on last week.

She hoped people could focus on the "wonderful event" they brought to the community.

"The weather condition is something that we can't control."

Hou wasn't certain how much bond they paid, but said it was "a few thousand".

Council spokeswoman Selina Simcox said the bond was more than enough to cover the damage, which she called "superficial".

"The circus comes to town once a year. We take a bond to ensure any clean-up needed afterwards is covered. This year has been particularly wet but the bond allows us to have events like this in the city during winter without worrying about the cost of any remedial work needed to the grass."

Circus owner Jeni Hou said the team was lucky to get out of the waterlogged park. Photo/Melissa Nightingale

The parks team have been out to look at the ground and council is waiting for a clear run of good weather so contractors can carry out remedial work, "which involves getting a tractor in to level out the ground so new grass can be sowed".

"This area of the park is not used often in winter, it is not a sportsground and once remedial works are complete it won't take long to be back to normal."