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DOWNTOWN ROTORUA
Since Treetops is so close to downtown Rotorua, it would be silly not to at least check it out. I know it’s smelly (from the geothermal activity) and cheesy (there is one motel after another, interspersed with American chains like Burger King, Sizzler and Blockbuster). But there are a few worthwhile places to visit. The Rotorua Government Gardens includes a beautiful Victorian building that houses the Rotorua Museum. The 50-plus acre property features the Blue Baths, lawn bowling, even golf. Rotorua is also the place to learn about native Maori culture (here’s a helpful link). I didn’t go to a Maori show because Didi (the horse whisperer from Treetops) took me to a wharenui (Maori "meeting house"). There I learned all about traditions like the one in which women (not men) have to take their shoes off before entering the wharenui and "the share of hongi" (pressing noses to signify exchange of "the breath of life").

HOKEY POKEY
Before leaving downtown Rotorua, stop by Lady Jane’s Ice Cream Parlour to try the "Hokey Pokey ice cream." It’s the second most popular flavor (after vanilla) in New Zealand. Made with vanilla ice cream and bits of crunchy toffee, it’s so good it might make you "put your right hand in…".

MANUKA HONEY
If you want to bring a great yet inexpensive gift home, stop by a Pak N’ Save (grocery store) for some manuka honey. It has exceptional antibacterial and healing powers, and is used to successfully treat many ailments, including ulcers and sore throats. It costs $15.50 NZD ($10 USD) -- just one-third of what you’d pay at the airport. Pak N’ Save.

KIWI ENCOUNTER
Those interested in seeing a real life kiwi (New Zealand’s national symbol, a flightless bird on the brink of extinction) should hop on over to Kiwi Encounter for a 45-minute guided tour. You’ll pass by a working hatchery and nursery. Go to the nocturnal area to see these eccentric birds come out and look for food, and view a "Kiwi Culture Exhibit." Tours depart every hour, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Admission prices: adult $26.50 NZD ($17 USD), children 5 to 15 years $16.50 NZD ($11 USD), children under 4 free. Family pack (2 adults, 2 children): $79 NZD ($50 USD). Kiwi Encounter, Fairy Springs Rd, Rotorua, New Zealand; tel.: 64-7-350-0440.

SKYLINE / LUGE
For the best views of Rotorua without going on a helicopter tour, take a 3,000-foot long 8-seat gondola. It goes 1,600 feet to the top of Mount Ngongotaha. This is Rotorua’s most popular visitor attraction, and the short ride is definitely worth it. Don’t worry if you’re scared of heights: these brand-new gondolas are enclosed, and they don’t travel far off the ground. At the top you’ll enjoy panoramic views, and can go on the world’s first luge ride. Travel halfway down the mountain on a paved, windy track in a 3-wheel cart. The carts are basic to operate; all you do is steer and brake. You can choose from 3 tracks: scenic (for those who want to go nice and slow, and stop along the way to take pictures), intermediate and advanced. Like an idiot I dropped and ruined my camera on the advanced track. It’s fun for all ages -- especially those 6 and up, because they can take their own cart (younger riders have to go tandem). To get back up the mountain, there is a two-seat open air chairlift. That’s a bit fearful for acrophobics. But there’s a reward at the top: a 9-course buffet. Prices: gondola: adults $20 NZD ($13 USD), children $9 NZD ($6); luge: each ride is $7 NZD ($4.50); buffet lunch: $43 NZD ($27); buffet dinner: $55 ($35). Package deals are available. Skyline Skyrides, Rotorua, New Zealand; tel.: 64-7-347-0027.

ZORBING
Now for the real fun! New Zealand is famous for adventure sports. The most popular is bungee jumping (but I wasn’t about to jump from any bridges). Slowly gaining in popularity is zorbing. This involves people going down a hill inside a giant plastic ball. "Zorbonauts"(6 years and up) begin by diving like Superman through a narrow hole, then roll down the side of a mountain at a maximum speed of 31 mph. There are two ways to Zorb. One is the dry way, where you pretty much roll end over end with the ball. The other is "hydro-zorbing." Staff workers put a bucket’s worth of warm water inside the ball. This makes it very slippery. Therefore you don’t tumble over and over; instead you slide (mostly on your arse). These 200-pound balls are so big that they can fit up to 3 people standing. I was nervous about being claustrophobic, but that didn’t happen at all -- even after the door was zipped shut. You don’t have to worry about drowning or suffocating either. The zorb has two skins. The area in between is inflated, but the inner chamber is always open to the outside so fresh air comes in all the time. I went hydro-zorbing, and it was so much fun I had to do it twice.

MORE ZORBING
There are two types of tracks to choose from. Straight down the hill is just over 150 yards, and takes about 10 seconds. The zig-zag course is about 50 feet longer, and makes riders much more queasy – or so I hear. Single rides cost $45 NZD ($28 USD); if you go with someone its $35 NZD ($22 each). Extra rides after that are $29 NZD ($18.50). Don’t worry about getting your clothes wet; for $2 NZD ($1.25) they provide a clean zorbonaut outfit and towel. Although Rotorua is where zorbing was invented, it’s already expanding around the world -- including the U.S. I bet within a few years it will be hard not to find a place that does not zorb. Zorb Rotorua: tel.: 64-7-357 5100 (toll-free within New Zealand: 0800-227-474); email: rotorua@zorb.com.

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