Family Fun for all ages on the Luge at Skyline, Rotorua. Photo/supplied
Family Fun for all ages on the Luge at Skyline, Rotorua. Photo/supplied
Cindy McQuade experiences a little cruise control in Rotorua.
You can't turn your back on Skyline Rotorua. Not for five minutes. Because when you do - it just goes and gets better without you. And that only means one thing. There's a whole lot of fun to catch up on.
As if Rotorua needed any more activities, Skyline went and added a bunch of new ones in the past year.
We weren't about to miss out on going down the luge though. The classic ride has been a popular drawcard for decades for one good reason. It's awesome.
So we joined the throng of people squealing, yelling and woohooing their way down the mountain and then watched from the chairlifts as more whizzed down after us.
It's from here you get to see the range of people who come up for a day's fun. From the Kiwi dads doubling their kids, to the tentative tourists and the gung-ho teenagers - people of all ages are here with smiles as wide as the mountain is high.
The funniest ones to watch are the young and not so young males: hooning down at full throttle in packs, trying to be top dog. One or two always end up wiping out on the corners - to the claps and cheers from those of us up in the chairlifts laughing at their silliness.
It's from here you also get to see parts of the downhill mountain bike course weaving through the trees. A network of tracks is continually developing on Ngongotaha's slopes and more are set to open soon. That's good news for anyone with two wheels and a need for downhill speed.
Adrenaline Buzz - Ride the Skyswing if you dare! Photo/supplied
Buckle in and feel the adrenaline pumping on the skyswing and zipline rides, two of the newer adventures we discovered.
Gulp and just get it over with is my advice for anyone feeling nervous.
Soon, you'll be swooping through the air wondering what all the fuss was about.
If it gets a bit much and you need a cup of tea and a sit down, the cafe has everything you need for a quick recovery.
But if you need a more sophisticated drop to calm your nerves, a visit to Volcanic Hills wine tasting room will do the trick. Not only does it boast arguably the best views in the country, its wines are made from some of the finest grapes around.
Volcanic Hills is steadily putting Rotorua on the foodie map with its award-winning wines that are supplied to only the best Bay of Plenty cafes and restaurants and even a couple in New York.
The winemakers are Bay of Plenty locals, Sean Beer, who lives in Mount Maunganui, and Brent Park, who grew up in Rotorua. Having honed their wine making skills from years of working in France, Australia, South Africa, the US and New Zealand, they established Volcanic Hills to supply Bay of Plenty restaurants with quality, locally made wine.
Sample some fine wines at Volcanic Hills. Photo/supplied
And when it comes to quality, Brent knows his stuff, as he has recently been a judge at the Air New Zealand Wine and Royal Easter Show awards. You may need some fresh air after the wine tasting; otherwise you may end up spending the whole day parked in one place.
Take a walk around the nature trails on the mountain. With five tracks to choose from, you will be mesmerised by the views from the slopes.
The only problem with walking up in the clouds is occasionally they like to sprinkle you. We got caught in a couple of showers and decided to head down the mountain to warm up.
It was a case of going from one Rotorua classic to the next and we climbed aboard the Lakeland Queen for lunch.
We were greeted by hot tea and coffee for the adults and activity packs for the kids: an awesome way to warm up and calm down after the morning's adventures.
While the sun shimmered on the water outside, we helped ourselves to the assortment of food from the hot buffet.
The Lakeland Queen is modelled on Mississippi river boats and a serene cruise on the lake is a great way to cap off an action-packed day in the popular Bay of Plenty city.
