Day 5 – December 29:
Hard start in that we had to leave our pampering at the farm lodge and head to our next stop, Rotorua. But first, the long-awaited cave tour. New Zealand is known for their glow worm caves, mostly for the big one in Waikato. There you can take a boat through the water, swim, and walk along the paths in these huge caverns. Not for us. We went to the much lesser-known Nikau Cave (& Café). This is a very small operation not far from our lodge. We showed up on this rainy morning worried it would be canceled cause, you know, rain and caves. But it was good to go. Our guide, Molly (from the Netherlands), hiked us up a steep hill with helmets on our heads and torches in hand (torches = flashlight) to the entrance of this cave. Now this cave does not do that tourist bullshit. There is a first aid kit at the front, some instructions, and that is it. No hand rails, no pathways, just raw cave…make sure you check your claustrophobia at the door. This was truly an incredible experience which I highly recommend. But seriously, there was a point we had to drop down a hole, pull ourselves over a rock, then slide down and army crawl 20m through water and a very tight tunnel. Also, the water can have eels in it. No shit. But stalactites/stalagmites, huge openings, running water, and the glow worms. Totally magical.
After a quick snack (above ground) in this beautiful area, we hit the road again for a couple hour drive to Rotorua. Upon arrival, it was immediately clear that this was different sort of place. Mountain biking, zip lining, Rail Cruising, Velocity Village, and Zorbing. Yes, Zorbing…giant balls rolling down ski-slope size hills with people inside. Molly, who is in the know on everything, immediately knew what this was and, in-fact, that it was created right here in New Zealand. And here we are in the Moab of the Southern Hemisphere with an opportunity to Zorb. I at first said absolutely not since anything that spins makes me puke, but Molly assured us that it was something different than that. So, we did it. Zorbing is like going down a hill in your own personal water slide. First, there is a huge clear ball maybe 10’ across, with a smaller ball inside suspended by bungy cords. They fill the inside with several inches of water then throw people who pay good money into it so we can all experience what our clothes go through during the agitate cycle. I went down with Caden and the girls went in another one; it was a blast. Just a wild, crazy ride that makes you laugh hysterically and only mildly nauseas. Unplanned activity #2 done.
New Zealand Day 6
Hard start in that we had to leave our pampering at the farm lodge and head to our next stop, Rotorua. But first, the long-awaited cave tour. New Zealand is known for their glow worm caves, mostly for the big one in Waikato. There you can take a boat through the water, swim, and walk along the paths in these huge caverns. Not for us. We went to the much lesser-known Nikau Cave (& Café). This is a very small operation not far from our lodge. We showed up on this rainy morning worried it would be canceled cause, you know, rain and caves. But it was good to go. Our guide, Molly (from the Netherlands), hiked us up a steep hill with helmets on our heads and torches in hand (torches = flashlight) to the entrance of this cave. Now this cave does not do that tourist bullshit. There is a first aid kit at the front, some instructions, and that is it. No hand rails, no pathways, just raw cave…make sure you check your claustrophobia at the door. This was truly an incredible experience which I highly recommend. But seriously, there was a point we had to drop down a hole, pull ourselves over a rock, then slide down and army crawl 20m through water and a very tight tunnel. Also, the water can have eels in it. No shit. But stalactites/stalagmites, huge openings, running water, and the glow worms. Totally magical.
After a quick snack (above ground) in this beautiful area, we hit the road again for a couple hour drive to Rotorua. Upon arrival, it was immediately clear that this was different sort of place. Mountain biking, zip lining, Rail Cruising, Velocity Village, and Zorbing. Yes, Zorbing…giant balls rolling down ski-slope size hills with people inside. Molly, who is in the know on everything, immediately knew what this was and, in-fact, that it was created right here in New Zealand. And here we are in the Moab of the Southern Hemisphere with an opportunity to Zorb. I at first said absolutely not since anything that spins makes me puke, but Molly assured us that it was something different than that. So, we did it. Zorbing is like going down a hill in your own personal water slide. First, there is a huge clear ball maybe 10’ across, with a smaller ball inside suspended by bungy cords. They fill the inside with several inches of water then throw people who pay good money into it so we can all experience what our clothes go through during the agitate cycle. I went down with Caden and the girls went in another one; it was a blast. Just a wild, crazy ride that makes you laugh hysterically and only mildly nauseas. Unplanned activity #2 done.
New Zealand Day 6
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Video of Caden and I "Zorbing" down the hill...no words |
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This is GoPro footage of our Cave tour...the only proof we did it. It ended up being 60mins of near blackness, but I edited it down to some key points. There is a part where we are looking at the glow worms...you will need to be in a dark room to see it. Then there is the part where we army crawl in eel infested waters...it is fun to watch and will likely make you claustrophobic. It is long, so skip as you like! |