Rotorua: Part 2
For this second Rotorua blog, I thought I’d share the activities we chose. There is so much to do in “RotoVegas” but not in a Vegas-y kind of way. There aren’t shows, strip clubs, or crazy dance clubs, but there are a ridiculous amount of (primarily outdoor) activities to do. We feel like we just scratched the surface of all that the town has to offer.
Skyline Luge - This one is a staple of a Rotorua trip. The same company runs the luge in Queenstown, and we had heard that the Rotorua luge was even better. And it was. An enclosed gondola ride takes you to the top of a mountain where all of the fun is. There’s the luge with three tracks, a zip-line, a crazy swing, mountain biking tracks, and a restaurant. Even though all of my kids are over 110cm tall - the required height to ride solo - my six year old still wanted to ride tandem with me. My eight year old was zipping down the tracks, trying to beat us all down the hill. This activity was so popular that we ended up going back for a second afternoon when we discovered the kiwi hatchery wasn’t open on Tuesdays. My one word of advice is to schedule in some hot tub/hot springs time after riding the luge. My back was achy and I felt thoroughly jostled afterwards.
Redwood Tree Top Walk - This one is a tamer staple in Rotorua than the luge. One ticket gets you in during the day and a return trip at night to explore the redwood walk up in the trees. It was a beautiful setting and took about 40 minutes to make our way through all of the bridges up in the trees, but the kids were more interested in running in front of us than learning anything about when and how the trees got to New Zealand and why they have become such a tourist attraction. (I won’t ruin the history for you here, but it is an interesting story.) The huge hanging lanterns are really quite spectacular and worth seeing. Plus, it is fun to run around on the paths in the forest afterwards and spend a little time in nature.
VolcanicAir Floatplane Tour - Jon loves taking small aircraft on adventures when we’re on vacation, and this trip’s excursion was on VolcanicAir’s seaplane. Steve, our pilot, was amazing with the kids and let them “pilot” the plane. We flew to the Lake Rotoiti Hot Pools and spent an hour and a half soaking in the warm water (note - after the luge!) before hopping back in the plane for a birds-eye view of Rotorua and the surrounding lakes and geothermal activity. While usually quite busy, the hot springs were nearly private on Monday morning for us. The facilities are pretty minimal - no showers, drop toilets, and a changing room, but there’s a small snack bar here if you find yourself in need of a little something.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley - This place, which is about 25 minutes from the center of Rotorua, claims to be the world’s youngest geothermal area, and it is spectacular. There’s a self guided walk that meanders through some truly stunning places. The colors that the algae makes around the geothermal hotspots look like something out of photoshop. They are spectacular and otherworldly. The end of the walk find you at Lake Rotomahana where you can take a guided boat tour and learn about the big 1886 volcanic explosion that destroyed the pink terraces. If you’ve got kids, skip the boat tour. They absolutely loved the walk, but they had not interest in the tour.
Zorbs - My son insisted that we give these a try, and I decided I was going to be the cool mom and do it with him. I’m so glad I did! Zorbs are giant inflatable balls with an area inside for a person to climb into. With a little bit of water, the zorbs turn into personal waterslides that roll down tracks carved into a hill. I was hesitant to give this activity a go because it was pretty chilly out when we arrived, but the zorb people have it all figured out. There are hot tubs at the bottom of the hill that you can wait in, then a van that has a heater blasting away takes groups of about 8 up to the top of the hill where there is another hot tub and a heated shack to wait in. Warm water fills the zorbs, and when it is your turn, the attendants come and get you from the hot tub. It was all very well thought out, and I had a blast! My favorite track was the AirMax because it combined twists and turns with the ability to get real speed. If your kids are over five, definitely check this place out!
We only had three and a half days in Rotorua, and that clearly wasn’t enough. There are so many more things I want to try here, including the Polynesian Spa, Paradise Valley, Te Puia, Velocity Valley, and the Government Gardens. What else should I include for our next trip?
