March 2019

Skyline Rotorua – Rotorua, New Zelanad

After a fun morning exploring the Hobbiton Movie Set, we made our way to Skyline Rotorua. It is on the way back into Rotorua so it was the perfect time to stop and explore. The same company is set up in Queenstown but I read that this one in Rotorua is less crowded and has a better luge.

The ticket options seemed confusing but when it got down to what we wanted- lots of luging- it became easier to read the prices. Since the price per luge decreased the more you could buy, we opted for the seven luge package each that also included a round trip gondola ride.

There are three tracks for luging to chose from- scenic, intermediate, and advanced. This was going to be a great run with the GoPro! We grabbed our helmets and jumped in line, getting a brief tutorial on how to use the luge once we were seated. Pull back completely to stop and brake, let go to accelerate. Easy enough! The scenic route we were planning to start with was blocked off so our first run was the intermediate track.

It was immediately exhilarating! Flying through like you do in Mart Kart, aching for the ability to drift around turns. You get really high speed if you weren’t careful and there are signs constantly alerting drivers to slow down.

We tried the advanced track next which made the track narrower and added inclines that cause drivers to go airborne (both us of) when not expected. There were caution painted areas that reminded us of the speed up areas in Mario Kart but we were severely mistaken. This areas had repeated bumps to encourage slowing down and boy did it hurt going over them fast. Only need to make that mistake once!

The scenic route actually ended up being our favorite. While I would not say it was easier than the others, it included many twists and turns surrounded by giant redwood trees and even had parts were you could split off and rejoin the main track.

Each time you go down the luge, you get onto a ski lift to take you back to the start but you do not go up alone. The luge cart actually hangs from the chair lift taking it from the end of the track and placing it into the queue at the top. Super genius way to keep the supply of luges high without a manual replenishment process.

We did each run a few more times- having seven luges was a great choice- and it kept us active for two hours. This was super fun and highly recommend of anyone of all ages!