Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Loving being historic lugers

Rotorua Daily Post
30 Apr, 2013 07:52 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Nearly running out of petrol on State Highway 23 proved fortuitous for a Tauranga family, when they became the 15 millionth luge riders at Rotorua's Skyline attraction.

Father Mike Moroney, 7-year-old Michael Moroney and mum Jackie Roberts have won a trip to Queenstown as a result of hitting the milestone, along with a basket of goodies that includes personalised luge helmets, Volcanic Hills wine and more. The family recently moved to Tauranga from Christchurch.

Ms Roberts said the family nearly didn't make it to Rotorua for the school holiday day trip, after belatedly realising they didn't have enough petrol to make it across the Tauranga Direct Rd.

"At Pyes Pa we suddenly realised that we might get a bit stuck so we actually drove back to Greerton to get petrol. If we hadn't done that, we wouldn't have made the milestone!"

Skyline general manager, Bruce Thomasen, said the company was thrilled to celebrate the 15 million luge ride yesterday.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This is a massive milestone for us as an organisation, but also for all our staff and the wider Rotorua community.

"Not only are we a key physical landmark at the top of Mt Ngongotaha in Rotorua, we are also a significant contributor to the local economy.

"We now host more than 420,000 visitors every year, with a large proportion of those being domestic or international visitors who inevitably end up spending money in restaurants, cafes, shops or other attractions in and around Rotorua.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We are proud to be a big part of this community and to play our role in its growth and development."

Skyline Rotorua's luge operation was the first in the world when it opened on March 9, 1985. Skyline Enterprises now has luge operations in Queenstown, Singapore and Canada.

Planning is also underway for a new operation in South Korea.

Mr Thomasen said the luge tracks had changed extensively since the operation first opened, but the heart of it remained the same - having fun. "More than 750,000 luge rides are taken in Rotorua every year - with visitors usually riding more than once."

Rotorua locals and visitors have the opportunity to participate in the celebrations, with two photo competitions running at Skyline until Sunday May 5. Winning entries are in the running for annual Gondola passes and dinner vouchers.

More information about the competitions and other promotions to celebrate the luge milestone can be found at www.skyline.co.nz/rotorua.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Sport

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

09 Jul 06:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

09 Jul 01:32 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

09 Jul 12:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

09 Jul 06:00 AM

Whakarewarewa dominated Te Puna with a 57-10 win in Rotorua.

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

09 Jul 01:32 AM
'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

09 Jul 12:00 AM
'Horrible': Memorial for deaf, blind man killed in alleged hit-and-run is destroyed

'Horrible': Memorial for deaf, blind man killed in alleged hit-and-run is destroyed

08 Jul 10:50 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP