Zorbing, Kayaking and Other Water Fun.....

We packed our lunch, loaded our kayak, made sure we had togs and towels and set off for a day in Rotorua. We started off with Wet Zorbing - a Zorb is a big blow-up ball like this:


And you hop inside it:


A nice boy chucks some water in with you:


And then they roll you down the side of a hill


All great fun!







We then went lakeside for a play:



And some lunch (out of the back of the van, lol):


And then we paddled along the lake to the Hamurana Stream (it was pretty choppy today, and we capsized THREE times!):



We'd been there before (we love that amazingly clear water), but this time we decided to have a go on the rope swing:



Then we continued on upstream till it was a bit calmer (and still so *clear* - bloomin' cold, though!) and we had a play off the bridge and in the water:





Funnily enough, L9 located, befriended and spent a lot of time with these guys:



We decided to walk right upstream to the spring that fed the stream, so we took the redwood-lined track:



And saw some trout swimming in the water (have I mentioned how *clear* that water was?):




The photo didn't turn out very well, so I've re-typed what it says at the site of the spring proper:

"Here is the head spring which is the largest in the North Island and where on January 9th 1957 more than 5000 pennies dating from 1860 were recovered by Messers, Strong, Tomlin & Huntley pioneer skin divers of Wellington. All of these were distributed by Rotorua Jaycees to childrens charities.

The water from these springs flows into Lake Rotorua then through Ohaau Channel into Lake Rotoiti, over the Okere Falls down the Kaituna River entering the Pacific Ocean at Maketu where Tama-Te-Kapua landed in the Arawa canoes in the year 1350.

The height of the spring above sea level is 280 metres (920 feet). The depth of the spring is approx 15 metres (50 feet). The temperature is a constant 52 deg F (10 deg C). Volume of water is approx 4,500,000 litres (1,000,000 gallons) per hour."

GO THE 'CANES!!!!! (I'm off to watch the rugby on Free-to-Air.....)