Rotorua Things to Do Tips by b1bob

Because of the volcanic activity, geothermal springs are all over the area. The water, whether it comes from the taps or in the swimming pool, has a sulfuric odour. Native Maoris used the springs for cooking.

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Also, geysers make it necessary for Rotoruans to entomb their dead above ground. Imagine if you buried somebody and the coffin rose out of the ground like Old Faithful. We walked through a Maori cemetery where they had the dead entombed that way.

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The audience was from all parts of the world: New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and China. They sheered a lamb in front of everybody, giving each audience member a small piece of sheered wool Next, they asked for volunteers for the next thing. The Lamberts, especially Jonathan, volunteered me to ride a bull (without horns, of course). After the show, Jonathan and I rode the bull together. For folks wondering how I got that piece of wool back to the United States: I stuck it in my shoes.

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After lunch, we went to Mount Ngongataha (don't ask me how to pronounce the name of that mountain) to go down by luge (not like on the Winter Olympics, but these had wheels and you drive them sitting up). We went up the hill by cable car. I bought 4 turns on the luge. The first time, I went down very slowly to get used to the course (with many hairpin turns and a steep hill at the end). We went back up again by chair lift. The second time, I was so confident as to race Anthony and Jonathan. I ended up in second place behind Anthony but in front of Jonathan. The third time, I was determined to win. I started out well ahead of the Lambert brothers. I was Richard Petty at the Daytona 500 compared to Anthony and Jonathan who were driving like old folks in a 1965 Nash Rambler on the way to Boca Raton. Everything went all right until I approached that hill too fast. I jumped that hill which is about the same height as the first hill on the Rebel Yell (roller coaster at King's Dominion) like "the General Lee" on "The Dukes of Hazzard", only I wasn't saying "Yee-ha!" in flight, instead I was saying something like, "Oh s***!" I landed on my BOHUNKUS (Southern for rear end) without the luge. I left half my hide on Mount Ngongataha not to mention I punched a hole the size of Spartanburg, South Carolina in the seat of my britches. I'm glad I landed on those parts because if I landed on anything else I could have hurt a lot more than my pride. It was especially humiliating when even Jonathan passed me as I was regrouping from my fall. I actually was able to go get the luge, put it back on course, and ease it back in. I felt about as much like taking the fourth turn as taking up nude cactus farming because every part of my body ached and I had to make sure people didn't see that gaping hole in my britches. At that point, I officially became a retired luger.

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