Zorb(er) the Yank!

Patrick inside the Zorb!



Arriving in Rotorua, we connected with Patrick, son of our American friends from Williamsburg, Virginia, Bill and Susan Geary. We first met Patrick when he was 18 months old. We had a somewhat unconventional honeymoon at his parents' home in Williamsburg 31 years ago! We've seen him infrequently over the years and were delighted when he emailed us to say he was planning to arrive in Auckland for a holiday and suggested we meet for a meal. He was planning to go Zorbing in Rotorua with his best friend from university, Elaine, a young geologist currently working in NZ.

We arrived a bit too early at the Zorbing Centre and were met by a rangy fit-looking Kiwi, who looked surprised to see us. I think he thought we looked too old to Zorb! For those of you who don't know, Zorbing, an "extreme sport invented by the Kiwis, is rolling around in a giant plastic contraption that looks like a "bucky ball". (Remember the US Pavilion at Expo '67?) He asked where we were from, and when we told him Toronto, he replied, "Oh, I love Americans"! I guess it's not only Yanks who sometimes have problems with Canadian geograpy. However, he redeemed himself by sending us down the road to a small town for an excellent lunch at a cafe called Essence.

After lunch we returned to the Zorbing Centre to be met by Patrick, who was preparing for the downhill roll. One can Zorb either wet or dry; Patrick opted for wet. Those who Zorb dry are strapped in and go head-over-heels. The "wets" remain sitting upright as the ball rotates. If one has long toenails, socks are a must! These Zorbs must be very costly to produce. The facilitators squirted the inside of the ball with warm water and Patrick slid in. From a distance he looked a bit like an embryo - the inner chamber seemed decidedly womb-like. After a bit of a push, the Zorb began to zigzag down the hill taking 2-3 minutes to reach the bottom. After a photo op, Patrick slid out and landed on his feet. We wanted him to give the dry version a try, but he felt he had had enough! If you wish to Zorb but don't want to come all the way to NZ, I understand they have centres in the UK and the Smoky Mountains! (The You Tube video is not Patrick, but is will give you an idea!)