Tauranga, NZ - Zorbing

Happy Birthday Melissa. When we were leaving port today, there was a band playing for us as the ship left. They actually played Happy Birthday as one of their songs too! We assume that it was intended for you.

Today we docked in Tauranga, New Zealand. We got in around 7am however did not get off the ship until 8:30am. (But the cruise ship starting making announcements in the staterooms at 7am, which was really annoying, to again remind people that they cannot take food ashore as they get off the ship).

I booked a rental car from Pegasus. It was an older car but it worked fine. The car was right at the port for us with our name in the window. It was really nice. The reason we rented a car is because we wanted to go zorbing today. The zorb is in Rotorua, New Zealand, which is about an hour away form Tauranga. (Our friends were not able to come with us due to illness).

We drove there without any difficulties except I took Brian the scenic route (the long way). At first I could not find us on the map, but I finally did and I did get us there. It worked out since we took a different route home so we saw different scenery. New Zealand is an interesting country. Its population is relatively small and the scenery reflects that. There is usually only one road to another major city. Those roads are only two lanes. It is definitely a more rural area. It is not like the cities that we are use to in America.

We arrived to the zorb place around 10:30am. A zorb is an 11 foot high inflatable transparent sphere which you ride inside. You get into the zorb at the top of the hill then you run in it like a hamster wheel to get it going. Despite best efforts, eventually you fall down and roll all around in the zorb as water splashes everywhere. It was not crowded when we first got there but soon it got really crowded. We watched a few people go down the hill first to make sure we really wanted to do it. We were a little nervous, but we later learned that this was unfounded.

We decided to give it a try. We went down the straight hill first together. We were both in the same zorb with water in it. It was a lot of fun! After that, I did the wet zigzag zorb twice. Instead of going straight down the hill, you take a zigzag path down which tosses you from side to side in the zorb. It is fun. Brian did the wet zigzag then tried the dry zorbing with him harnessed in which caused him to go upside down inside the zorb all the way down the hill. He said that the zorb bounced a little more down the hill due to the different way the weight was distributed.

It was another great weather day. It was around 80 degrees and sunny. Actually I have a little sunburn on my shoulders. On this trip, we have been so fortune with regards to weather. We really need to count our blessing because usually in New Zealand it is rainy. Plus the seas have been amazing clam. It has been wonderful. We have been gone for 3 weeks and have not had any rain (knock on wood – one more day to go in Auckland).

On our drive home, I took landscape pictures while Brian was driving. It was fun driving around New Zealand. It is neat to see something other than just the port city. Especially since we were on our own and could do whatever we wanted to do instead of being on a cruise tour.

Once we got back into the city, we returned the rental car at the port. Then went to a quick lunch. We also realized that our ESPN station did not show the Cavs and New Orleans game. The computer taped it, but it was boxing. So much for watching the game at the airport. We were sad although we know they won so it is okay. ESPN showed the second game of the double header and we watched highlights of the Cavs in the halftime report. We are sad to learn that Delonte is hurt!

We went back out in the city. There was a nearby mountain that we considered hiking up but decided against it. I was happy about that. We walked in the city and looked into a few stores instead.

On our way back to the ship, Brian saw a kite surfer and we watched him for a while. Then we overheard someone say that a shark was caught and it was on the pier. Brian actually touched the shark. However I was not that brave. (When I first saw the blood from his mouth, I almost started to cry). We learned that the shark was 197.2kg (434 pounds) and roughly 2 meters long. It was a Mako Shark. It was really something to see. The photo with Brian gives you some perspective. Brian is 6’ 3” tall. The shark teeth are really interesting to see up close – they looked razor sharp!

It was then time to get on the ship for the last time. It was kind of sad. We are ready to return home, but we are not looking forward to all of the flights and layovers that go with getting there. We have had an amazing trip. This has been everything we have expected and more. I know for me, this has been the best trip we have ever taken. Although we know we will not be able to return for a long time, I really hope someday we will be back.

This will be my last blog post for a while (unsure when I will get internet access again). Tonight will be my last night of sleep until Monday night. (Traveling this far definitely has some disadvantages). We hope to sleep some on the planes but we really cannot do that well. Then maybe we will sleep on LAX airport floor for a while. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

I am working on packing now. We need to post this blog message, go to dinner, get our luggage out for the cruise to collect tonight, fill out our cruise review questionnaire, and get cookies and hot chocolate for the last time on this trip. It is going to be a busy night.

I am looking forward to coming home and getting into our regular routine. It will be nice to see our family and friends. It has been great spending so much time with Brian. He will soon get back to his very busy life and our time together will be limited but at least we will have all these memories to treasure. (Plus I am sure I will come up with another vacation for us soon).

I will update when I can but cannot guarantee when. Let’s hope for a safe and uneventful trip home. We will call our family once we arrive in LAX.


Above is a Kiwi plantation we drove past today.