Go Luging Down A Mountain

Rotorua has a bad reputation, mainly for the city-wide awful stench caused by the sulfur.  Do you know what sulfur smells like?  If you don't, find some rotton eggs and surround yourself in it.  That's what Rotorua smells like.

But not all of Rotorua stinks!   At the top of Mount Ngongotaha is Skyline Rotorua, and you don't smell an ounce of sulfur up there.

After taking a gondola to the top I saw the best views of Rotorua.  Now it's time to luge!

 Luging was the closest I would ever get to feel like a member of Cool Runnings. 

A luge is part go-kart and part toboggan.  The mechanics of the plastic sled were quite simple, pull the handle bar back to brake, and pull forward to accelerate.

At Skyline Rotorua there were three tracks to choose from, a scenic (beginners) route, an intermediate route, and an advanced route.

To get a hang of luging I did the scenic route twice, and then did the intermediate route.   There was only one point that I feared for my life.  I was accelerating fairly quickly and I went into a turn a little too tight and almost fell off the luge and into the side of the track.  Other than that little mishap, I had a great time!

After reaching the bottom of the mountain, we then hopped onto a chairlift to get back to the top.   Skyline Rotorua had hidden cameras at points during the luge ride and chairlift.  The photos were taken without warning.  The above photo of my friend Jen in the chairlift makes me laugh everytime.  We called it the "Pondering Life" shot.

Skyline Rotorua also has restaurants, a winery and tasting room in case luging is not for you.

But luging is fun for any age, and with three different tracks, there is a track that fits almost any adventure level. 

Date Accomplished: March 8th, 2009