Luge rush replayed at home

The adrenalin rush of racing down the sides of Mount Ngongotaha can be relived and shared thanks to Skyline Rotorua's newest gadget.

The tourist attraction has brought in the GoPro to give a new dimension to the luge. The helmet-mounted camera allows luge riders to film the action as they ride down the mountain. Footage is captured on a mini SD card which visitors can take home.

GoPro is a brand of high-definition personal video and still camera, often used in extreme action video photography. They are known for being lightweight, rugged, wearable or mountable in unusual places such as outside planes, cars, or boats.

Skyline Rotorua sales and marketing manager, David Blackmore, said the company had already received fantastic feedback from visitors who have hired the GoPro helmets since they were introduced in mid-September.

"Visitors have been really happy with the clarity of the footage and the flexibility to film whatever they are looking at, and they are also keen to share their footage which is great," Mr Blackmore said.

"The ability to have a video camera on a luge helmet is yet another innovation that has been led by our customers here at Skyline Rotorua. Luge riders wanted video footage to be able to share with their friends and family, so we decided to trial the latest release GoPro cameras in order to meet this need.

"The footage from the lightweight cameras is remarkably clear, which allows our visitors to go away and make their own luge videos and to easily share the fun that they had while visiting us at Skyline Rotorua.

"Our motion-activated cameras located on the luge track capture great still shots and they have proved popular, but personalised video footage takes the luge experience to the next level where visitors can share the excitement and the scenery with their friends and family."

GoPro helmets can be hired from the luge photo booth beside the track entry at Skyline's mountain-top site.

The helmets cost $50 for 30 minutes hire, but are discounted over school holidays to $39. Clients are asked to leave a credit card as a deposit and to sign a rental agreement which covers the use of the camera over the half hour period. Proof of ID is also required.