I was saving something really special for my 100th review, and OGO Rotorua is it!…read more Although my experience with Ogo was a few months ago, it's as if it happened yesterday. I had been wanting to go zorbing for so many years after seeing it for the first time on some TV show, and finally a dream trip to New Zealand became a reality, which means I was finally going to get to hurl myself down a hill inside a giant inflatable plastic sphere filled with water! Totally normal dream, right?! Before arriving in Rotorua from California, I did a lot of research on zorbing. Ogo's online reservations were easy and their website was very helpful, unlike another zorbing company who never even replied to me after I contacted them through their website twice AND emailed them directly once. Ogo's customer service was by far superior! The amenities onsite were also great: changing rooms with blow dryers, cubby holes/shelves to store bags, clothes, and personal items, hot tubs and heaters to keep you warm before/after your "ride," and lots of couches, chairs, and beanbags to relax in and watch your friends or other people roll down the hill! They even give you a GoPro camera to use if you want or need one, which allows you to film yourself going down the hill. We ended up purchasing a DVD with our photos and video, which were very reasonable priced as well. Since it wasn't too busy the day we were there, and we had so much fun going down the zigzagging trail separately, we decided to buy another round and go down the straight track together in one Ogo ball...SO. MUCH. FUN!!! Zorbing with Ogo Rotorua was literally the highlight of our 10-day trip to New Zealand, and trust me, we did a lot of fun and adventurous stuff there! I still remember how much my cheeks were hurting from smiling so much, and how sore my abs were from laughing the whole way down the hill! What an amazing experience...Highly recommend!

Super fun! We did the newer course that makes you go airborne briefly. It's a wet ride, not…read moreavailable dry. We didn't know that because it doesn't mention it online so we didn't bring our bathing suits. We rented shorts and a shirt for $7 each. The ride lasts for around 60 seconds and was $85. So it's pretty steep. The view is beautiful although you don't get to enjoy it while you're in the ball because you're rolling around and it's kind of foggy. It's really fun and I just kept laughing the entire time. There are hot tubs you can sit in afterwards and that was great because there were 3 of us taking individual rides so we could wait on the others in comfort. I would recommend forming out the extra money to do more than 1 ride. It's pretty expensive for something that's so short lived but we all thought it was worth it. The staff was super nice and friendly.

I first heard of Agroventures from Michelle Phan. (the YouTube Make-up Queen) I knew it was going…read moreto be cool so I was super excited when we spent a few hours at Agroventures. New Zealand is the land for adrenaline pumping adventures. Agroventures doesn't disappoint. They have 5 different activities, The Agrojet, (a raceboat that goes super fast) Freefall Extreme, (feels like you're falling through the sky) Swoop, (super swing) Shweeb, (race around a track in a pedal operated pod) and Rotorua Bungy. (Bungee jump) I went with a large group of mostly boys. They offer group discounts and combos if you buy 1 or 5 activities. Most of us did the Shweeb, though some did the other crazy activities. The Shweeb is unique and the only one in the world as of now. You are placed into this pod-like contraption and race your opponent by pedaling the pod to race around a track. It's not as easy as it looks or sounds! I don't have the speed or stamina like teenage boys! I had a great time at Agroventures and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an adrenaline rush!

There's something cool about a gondola ride, and the Skyline Gondola in Rotorua takes you high…read moreabove the city for unparalleled views. You're above lush forests, treated to panoramas of Lake Rotorua, and the geothermal landscape. Once at the top, we took a nature walk on Mount Ngongotaha. The scenery was remarkable. The views seem to stretch forever. For anyone who loves being high up and surrounded by nature, this is for you.

This was the top attraction that we wanted to do while we were in Rotorua…read more Skyline offered a host of different activities starting with just a round trip gondola ride, zip lines, luge, walking trails, mountain biking course and beautiful views of Rotorua. Due to our time constraints, we decided on the three ride luge and gondola ride. It was a perfect day. For the luge, we headed right after exiting the visitor center. We had to grab a helmet but we spent some time rummaging to find one that did not smell so bad. Staff scanned our ticket on each run and quickly went through the ride instructions before letting us choose our starting track. We rode three different tracks and enjoyed the speed and scenery. Our luge was easy to control and being early there was no one else on the tracks so we ride as fast or as slow as we wanted. At the bottom of the track, we got out of our cart and had to push it forward until it attached itself to the bottom of the chairlift. It took about 10 minutes or so to get back up to the top. Eventually more people showed up and kids as well as grandparents joined the luge ride down showing that any age could ride!

This was the most fun I've had in such a short time. We purchased two rides and went on each track…read moretogether. The zigzag was our favorite. The track looks a lot shorter than it actually feels when your in the Zorb. I know it's a little pricy but there are discounts on various websites offering discounts on Rotorua activities. Either way it's worth it. Where else can you do this? Especially where it originated from (New Zealand). We laughed all day about the fun ride we had. There is a small hot tub to relax in. The water added to the Zorb is warm so it's not uncomfortable at all. T-shirt & Rowell rental is $2 each. Bring your own towel if possible because you do get drenched. There are changing rooms. We wore our swimsuits and changed back into our clothes after the ride. People of ALL ages were riding and EVERYONE had big smiles on their faces at the end of the ride.

If you don't know what "zorbing" is, you simply have to try it…read more Who'd have known that being put into a giant inflatable rubber ball, getting pushed down a hill and bouncing around inside said ball, slithering around in half-a-bucket of water (warm or cold, your choice.) could be such jolly good fun.

Kaitiaki adventures is a must when visiting Rotorua! The team is incredible! We not only felt…read morecompletely safe but had an amazing time! Highly recommend.

So worth the money. I'd been white water rafting before but was apprehensive to venture down the…read moreworld's tallest (21ft) waterfall. The crew provided all the gear, instruction and motivation necessary to keep us safe. My daughter and I had a blast. Well worth the money. Don't miss this adventure.

Had been looking for an exotic skydive experience for awhile & the planets aligned & I ended up…read morehere as part of a NZ family adventure. So glad I did! Typical stage fright & anxiety of a first timer but Tristan calmed the tumult & handled everything like the pro he is. Super amiable, knowledgeable & "down to earth" extremophile - an integral part of something like this! There was a mixup on tripadvisor AND inclement weather on the scheduled, purchased day of jump, but the team went out of their way to reschedule & make it happen first thing the next morning. This was also in addition to being very short on time southbound with a camper. Anyway, rest assured, this IS the place if you are unsure or getting cold feet. Incredible views, free fall & parachute descent. Felt very safe & comfortable during everything as well. Unforgettable, truly awesome time - be the next high-velocity organic mass pulled by gravity through time & space! Thx again Skydive Tauranga!

I had planned an 11 day trip overseas to run a half marathon in Sydney Australia in September 2018…read moreand decided to look at if there are any half marathon event while in Auckland New Zealand. Just so happens that there was one in Tauranga, the weekend after Sydney. it is said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. That's pretty much what marathon is, just in different locations around the world. Even though I have done over 100 lifetime marathons / ultras, it's always an exciting thing to go somewhere different and do it again. Probably why I still do it and continue to do it year after year. With that said, I registered for the Tauranga New Zealand international half marathon Few months before arriving in Auckland, New Zealand. Tauranga is a small town 4 hours east of Auckland. I got here by Inter-City Bus, where a round trip ticket was about $40NZD, which was cheap, considering taking uber or lyft or even taxi. The Tauranga international marathon and half marathon is a small sized race, attracting most registrants from New Zealand and some from Australia. Pretty sure I'm one of the few from the United States of America in 2018, but it's just one year and hope that the race will grow in size in the future. For the most part though, the race was quite intimate and interesting. Even though I decided to do the half marathon, there as varied things to see along the course. Most of the half marathon course was basically residential areas with high flowing traffic, in some areas. The overall experience here at the Tauranga international marathon & half marathon was very casual, nice, and a good long run to basically burn any holiday calories I was having throughout my travels in Australia and New Zealand so far. Upon arrival to the packet pick up, it was basically in a park area along the strand, only with a few tents set up to hold The marathon expo, or lack there of. It was basically picking up my race number and that was basic there. No crowds or anything just pick me up my race number and I was off to find dinner there after or at least something to do with my time. The volunteers were friendly and definitely something to look forward to on the race course the next morning. Like many marathons and other race venues out there, race registration is usually online nowadays - and they accept major credit cards. The finish line is at The Strand and they bus us 21km north to a public park to start the half marathon. The marathon also finishes at The Strand, but starts 42km east to the start. Best bet is to find accommodations near the finish line, just so you don't have to walk far back to your hotel room. The race organization was good and there was enthusiastic volunteers along the way. For the most part though, it just seemed like a small marathon and half marathon, but they do draw enough people to make it an international event. It was great to run in New Zealand and I thank the race director for having this race as part of my birthday celebration by having race day in late September in 2018. Thank you to the aid station volunteers and to the course marshals to keep me going in the right direction. I didn't like the bridge at 18km mark though. We had to go up a bridge that is basically suspends over a highway. Not my idea of that on a half marathon course, but that's what happens in Tauranga. They have chip timing when you cross the finish line and there's a few post race amenities. I even met up with a first time marathoner when both courses merged together. He was visibly struggling, so I talked to him and tried to encourage him. I saw him cross the finish line about 20 minutes after I crossed. It was awesome to see he didn't quit. If you want to run in New Zealand and love small and intimate marathons or half marathons, consider coming here to Tauranga and run this one. I would recommend it, as the residential neighborhoods are cozy and cute. The water front sections of the course was nice too. 4.5 stars for the overall experience. 4.5 stars for the course support and the aid stations. They have pacers for both half and marathon. 4.5 stars for the course and scenery. 4.0 stars for the medal design. Run more! Support local! A-

Just came over from a cruise ship. Loved the adrenaline rush of their rides. Jordan at the from…read moredesk was awesome. Matt, Conner, & Moo were great keeping me safe!!