Rotorua Skyline Gondola & thrills

On a glorious spring day in the school hols we spent a day of thrills in Rotorua, just under a one hour drive from where we were staying in Taupo.

From the top of the Gondola.

Rotorua is well known for its smoking fumaroles, geysers, natural mineral spa and mud pools, all of which we’ve visited on previous trips to this beautiful part of the central North Island of New Zealand. There are an abundance of places to visit, but on this occasion we were focused on one place in particular…

Rotorua bathed in colours of spring.

We spent the day at ‘Skyline Rotorua‘, where the day started with a gondola ride up Mt Ngongotaha.

Sisters, Charlotte, Alice & Sophie riding up the Skyline gondola in Rotorua.

The first thrill, after the gondola ride up, was the ‘sky swing’ – for my two oldest daughters and hubby. Alice and I watched on with much amusement!

Charlotte, Dad & Sophie on the big-swing!

Their facial expressions when the swing makes the first, huge, plunge, travelling up to 150 kph are hilarious…

OMG!

Check out the video!

Next on the agenda was ‘luge time’!

This is incredible fun and something we’ve done on previous holidays to Rotorua and also Queenstown, in the South Island of New Zealand.

Dan caught a little footage of the girls and I enjoying a ride (I had Alice sat with me – and she was freaking me out by pushing the lever forward to go faster! Hence the screaming…!).

There were a number of trails to zoom down-hill on, before riding back up on a chair-lift.

Sophie & Charlotte riding up the chair-lift in Rotorua

: Dad & Sophie selfie!

: Alice preparing to ride!

Alice and Mummy, waving from the chair-lift, with one of the luge trails running down-hill behind.

The scenic trail had some dinosaurs, which young Alice enjoyed taking a closer look at!

Alice takes on the dinosaurs in Rotorua!

Alice, the brave!

And there were beautiful nature trails that we enjoyed exploring in between rides.

Gorgeous blossom trees!

As well as some adorable Llamas…

Hello there Llama!

Alice tried to get as close as possible.

Alice greeting the Llamas

Whilst Alice and I enjoyed the scenery, Sophie went for a ride on the zip line with her Daddy.

Here she goes….

She really flew down!

Sophie whizzing down on the zip-line.

Dan went next…

The other attraction – for the girls – was the huge jelly-bean store at the top of the gondola! There was some impressive jelly-bean artwork, but the ‘Bean Boozled Challenge’ was what my youngest most loved!

Jelly bean store Rotorua Skyline

Yes, we had a scream of a time and drove back to Taupo in the late afternoon feeling high as kites (that may have had something to do with the number of jelly beans we ate!).

We relaxed by the pool that evening, watching the colours of the sunset.