So last weekend I went to Rotorua. The locals call it Rotovegas because there is so much stuff to do. Steffi, Rachel and I left Auckland on Friday afternoon and took the "naked bus" down and met up with Traci and Dave who are living in Hastings. Naked bus is a cheap charter bus company that can take you all over the country for a cheap price. Once we arrived in Rotorua we wandered around with our bags looking for our hostile. Once we found the hostile we checked in and went exploring. We had dinner and decided that we would go to the "hot pools" to relax. Rotorua is known for its geothermal parks and hot pools. We went to Polynesian Springs and chose the lakeside view hot pools. There were 5 differnt pools, each one being a differnt temperature, and you were supposed to move from pool to pool. The water is good for your skin and the heat is good for your muscles. It was such a beautiful night and we stayed out there as the sun set. After our relaxing hour or so in the hot pool we went back to the hostile, finished a bottle of wine and went to sleep.Saturday was packed with things to do. We woke up and met up with Dave and Traci, who came in from Hastings that morning. First stop was the Agrodome, which had a sheep shearing show as well as the swoop,schweeb, airojet rides, and an air free fall. We all decided to skip the sheep show and I did the free fall extreme and Steffi and Rach chose the swoop! For the freefall extreme you put on a suit and lay on a huge fan. The fan comes on and the holes in the suit fill with air, and you fly! It was so fun... got me ready for sky diving :)
The swoop was a huge bungy like swing , where you dropped and headed towards the ground at 130km an hour and just before the ground you swooped up! Looked like a lot of fun...I could tell by their screams it was. Once we finished there we headed toward the ZORB! The zorb is a must do in NZ. There are only 2 places in the world with a Zorb. One being Rotorua, the other in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee haha crazy! The Zorb is like a huge hamster ball and you can either do a dry run or wet ride. I highly recommend the hydro zorb. It is like a waterslide, rollercoster combo! You roll down a huge hill either straight or an a bumpy track and fly all over the inside. 
After we Zorbed we went back and got ready for our Mai Ti Maori experience. We went to a place for a traditional Maori meal and a show.Dinner was cooked underground and was delicious.During the show they did traditional songs and my favorite the HAKA! After dinner we went to a nature reserve called Rainbow Springs and saw the Kiwi bird, which is nocturnal, as well as rainbow trout and glow worms. Then we headed back to town and went out to a local bar near by.
Sunday we headed to the Luge! Also a MUST DO in NZ. We took a gondola up the hill and took 2 different luge rides down. The first ride was the scenic and we all skipped to the advanced track next! The weather was perfect which made for an even better view from the top! After we finished we headed back to town to catch the bus for our 4 hour trip home! It a fun filled weekended and I can't wait to take my family back when they come!
