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New Zealand's new adventure experience

On her recent trip to New Zealand, KarryOn's blogger Lauren Trucksess discovered a new adventurous experience you probably haven’t heard of before -  but really need to try!

On her recent trip to New Zealand, KarryOn’s blogger Lauren Trucksess discovered a new adventurous experience you probably haven’t heard of before –  but really need to try!

Sometimes, sightseeing just isn’t enough. At least, that’s how we felt during our recent trip to New Zealand. It’s an adventurous place and we wanted to try something new, something different, something we hadn’t heard of before – So, we did just that – zorbing.

So, what the heck is zorbing? It’s definitely the travel experience you haven’t heard of, but need to try!

What is Zorbing?

Basically, zorbing is when you jump inside a giant plastic ball (or orb) and roll down a hill – easy!

Located just a few minutes’ drive outside of Rotorua in New Zealand, OGO is home to the world’s first zorbing site. It was raining when we went but that didn’t matter much because I forgot to mention that shortly before takeoff, the giant orb is filled with nice, warm water.

So, how does it work?

OGO Rotorua offers two different tracks – Straight and Sidewinder. The Straight track gives the best speed while the Sidewinder offers the world’s largest zorbing track with more than 350 metres with several big turns that send you flying in every possible direction.

You can try out both tracks and even organise to race your friends down the straight track. In between rides, you can warm up in the hot tub – which is pretty nice on cold days! And when it’s your turn, the truck carries you and your orb back up to the top.

travel experience you haven't heard of - OGO race
Racing down the Straight Track

The orbs have two layers of flexible plastic, with a smaller chamber that houses you and your fellow Zorb-er and protects you from some of the bigger bumps and allows you to slide around as your orb makes it way down the course.

While it may have gotten its start in New Zealand, zorbing is now found around the world in places like the UK, US, Switzerland, Japan, the Czech Republic, Thailand and more.

But all we can really say about it is that is super fun!

travel experience you haven't heard of - OGO Lauren & Troy

We had such a blast on both tracks and it’s hard to pick a favourite, but I think the Straight track was our pick because you got some serious speed.

Check out the video to see what it was like:

Have you tried zorbing?