Skyline Rotorua (gondola and luge)

The Skyline Rotorua complex, on Fairy Springs Road north of the town centre, features gondola and luge rides as well as the Zoom Zipline ride and Skyswing ride.

Gondola

The gondola is aimed mostly at older tourists, but it does give you a nice view and the gondola ticket is included in the Skyline Combo packages and is pretty much the easiest way to get to the action at the top of the hill.

The gondola is a 900m-long cableway system that gives you a scenic ride in an eight-seater cabin and offers a lovely view of Rotorua, Lake Rotorua and the geothermal activity in the surrounding countryside.

Luge

The luge track is generally the most popular – and best value – of the activities available at the Skyline complex. It is a cheap and fun activity that many backpackers love. There is almost 5km of luge track that you get to ride on a go-cart/toboggan hybrid.

Essentially you have a choice of three tracks: the scenic track (2km), the intermediate track (1.7km) and the advanced track (1km). Most people start off on the scenic track, which is the best value as it is also the longest track; although the intermediate and advanced tracks are more exciting and include tighter bends and tunnels.

Zoom Zipline

The Zoom Zipline consists of pair of 400m-long ziplines where you are strapped into a harness and fly through a Redwood forest at 80km/h. There is the option of finishing off with a 13m free-fall.

Skyswing

The Skyswing is essentially a tamer alternative to the swings that you can do in Queenstown. It is still an adrenaline rush where you swing 50m above the ground reaching speeds of 150km/h, but unlike New Zealand’s other swings, rather than being strapped to a cord, you get to sit on comfortable seats inside a pod that holds three people. In this respect, the Skyswing is more of a theme park ride and less of an adventure activity.