Bucket List / Experience Goals
Have A Go At Zorbing
Still to do
Dive into a giant inflatable ball of warm water and roll down a New Zealand hillside, shrieking all the way.
The adventure
Zorbing was invented in New Zealand in the 1990s, and Rotorua is still the place to do it. You dive headfirst through a small opening into a huge transparent ball with a second ball suspended inside it, and someone adds a few buckets of warm water. Then you're given a nudge, and gravity takes over.
Inside, there's no up or down. The hillside, the sky and the green countryside flash past in a blur while you slip and slide around the water like a sock in a washing machine. You can't stand, you can't stop and you can't stop laughing either. The ride takes less than a minute, ending with a gentle bump at the bottom of the hill, where you crawl out soaked and dizzy, already planning another run down a zigzag track.
Why it’s epic
- Created in Rotorua in 1994, where the original zorbing hill still operates.
- Hydro rides with warm water inside the ball, so you slide around rather than being strapped in.
- Straight and zigzag tracks of varying length and speed.
- Rotorua also offers geothermal geysers, hot pools and Māori cultural experiences.
What it is
Zorbing means rolling down a hill inside a giant inflatable ball.
How to do it
Rotorua in New Zealand is the original zorbing site.
Top tip
Go for the water-filled option.
Need to know
- No fitness or experience is needed, but there are age and height minimums.
- Bring swimwear and a towel for water rides, and leave glasses and jewellery behind.
- UK zorbing centres offer a similar experience if New Zealand is too far.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- Under £750 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Best time to go
- All year
- Fly into
- ROT airport
A single ride is inexpensive; the cost of getting to New Zealand is what makes the original a big trip.
Make it happen
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Why it’s on my list
Typically, as with bungee jumping and many other silly ideas, zorbing is an idea from New Zealand. It involves climbing inside a giant plastic ball and rolling down a massive hill. Obviously a hobby only the kiwis could come up with!
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