Non-stop excitement for children of all ages is the hallmark of a Rotorua holiday, says Sarah Ell
First, let it be said that my idea of a holiday weekend is sitting quietly somewhere with a great view, a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. So what was I doing being flung through the air, ziplining through pristine native forest and trying to fly like Superman? Well, because ... because it's fun. And you know what they say, when in Rotorua ...
Going away with two preschoolers is a form of adventure tourism in itself, but fortunately for our Rotorua jaunt we had a very comfortable family room at the Sudima Lake Rotorua on the lakefront.
On the Saturday morning, I headed off to Canopy Tours to go ziplining through native forest, while my husband and kids headed for Te Puia for a steambox tour.
With a special concession from DoC, the company has erected a series of platforms, bridges and ziplines through the Dansey Scenic Reserve near Ngongotaha. I am a bit nervous at first but guides Dan and Julian are all calm confidence and after the first couple of short ziplines I am right into it. Soon, everyone in the group is stepping off backwards, spinning around and yes, on the last zipline, flipping right upside down to watch the forest zooming past below us.
Though somewhat dampened by the increasing rain, the rest of the family enjoy their morning at Te Puia, the Maori cultural centre at Whakarewarewa. As well as selecting food to be cooked in a traditional steambox and checking out some thermal wonders, almost-5-year-old Florian enjoys the chance to pass on what he has been learning at preschool about the "Maori guards" (gods) - much to the amusement of guide Tomairangi McRae, apparently.
With my husband on nap duty I walk the two minutes from the hotel to the Polynesian Spa. I have a soak in the "adult pools" on the lakefront — a magical experience in the increasing rain — then comes the reward for my morning's exertions: a mud polish/Aix massage combo in the spa. I feel like a car having a cut and polish, being scrubbed with delightfully kiwifruit-smelling thermal mud, then being lightly panelbeaten under a hot shower.
I join my husband and kids for a play around in the family spa, then it's time for more food: the amazing buffet at Stratosfare, at the top of the Skyline gondola. Definitely a cut above your average all-you-can eat offering, and my husband conducts some serious mini-dessert sampling.
We are back up the gondola again in the morning. Both Florian and Natalie, 2, love going down the luge with their dad, while I work up the nerve to try the Skyswing. Basically, you get cranked up backwards 50m in the air, then you pull the release cord. Once you stop screaming, it's a great way to get a view of Rotorua.
"I might need a wine after that," I mutter, showing my husband how much my hands are shaking.
"You might need a straw," he replies.
The kids are getting tired but we have one more stop after lunch at Skyline's other food outlet, the more casual Market Kitchen. On the way out of town we need to be thrilled some more at Agroventures.
Florian is super-disappointed to be just a little bit too light to try the Freefall Xtreme wind tunnel, so it's up to me to suit up and try flying like a superhero over an enormous turbo fan. All I can say is that it's much harder than it looks but heaps of fun.
We double-up in the Schweebs — think a recumbent cycle crossed with a monorail — to have a boys-against-girls race, but Florian's favourite is the Agrojet, a high-speed thrill ride around a jetsprint course.
Then it's back in the car to head for home. After literally two minutes, there is complete silence from the back sea; both our little adventurers are out cold and stay that way for some time.
There's a reason why New Zealand is famous for its adventure tourism: it's bloody good fun. And Rotorua has to be one of New Zealand's best family holiday destinations. Florian keeps asking if we can go back. My answer? An emphatic yes.
