Rotorua's mane attraction

Cubs Asha and Asian make friends with visitors to Paradise Valley Springs. PIcture / Rotorua Daily Post

Exciting is one word to describe being locked in a cage with a pacing lion cub. Terrified is another.

Getting up close and personal with cubs is one of the drawcards at Paradise Valley Springs, a wildlife sanctuary set in 20ha of native bush about 20 minutes from Rotorua.

When we visited, the cubs were seven months old and more like full-grown lions.

The pair spend part of their day in a cage where visitors can watch them at play and pat them through the wire. But the excitement comes later, after all children have been asked to leave the enclosure, and the cubs are set free to wander around with visitors. There is a keeper in the enclosure to make sure things don't get out of hand.

It's an amazing experience. But it may take the edge off any future trip to the zoo, because watching lions from a distance doesn't seem nearly as interesting in comparison.