Zorb

Have you wondered what it might feel like if you're inside a washing machine? One way to find out is to try Zorb, one of the more extreme attractions at Rotorua.

What is Zorb? The best way to describe it is a human hamster ball. You sit inside a giant plastic ball, which is then pushed down a slope. As the ball rolls down the slope, you experience the thrill and joy of being tossed around.

Zorb ball getting ready to be rolled down the slope

My interpretation of the experience

Zorb is something to experience if you're ever in Rotorua, have NZD40 to spare, and would like try something crazy. That's exactly the situation I found myself in, so I thought, "what the hell, you only live once." :-)

There are 2 options, and 2 tracks. The 2 options are: dry or wet. For the dry option, you are harnessed to a seat inside the ball. As the ball rolls, the seat, and you, roll along with it. For the wet option, you are not harnessed to anything, and are free to tumble around inside the ball. The ball is filled with about 10cm of water, hence it's wet (to reduce friction). The 2 tracks are straight or zig-zag. The straight track is faster, while the zig-zag has more bumps.

I chose the wet option, and zig-zag. The experience was... well, hard to describe. Maybe my expression in the pictures below will show you.

Dazed after the ride

Yes!

Zorb was invented in New Zealand, but has now spread all over the world. It can be risky, if not handled safely. Recently, one person was killed, and another seriously injured, when their Zorb ball rolled off a cliff in Russia. The Zorb in NZ is very safe, because they have high safety standards.

Attractions in Rotorua

Wai-O-Tapu

Located 25km from Rotorua, Wai-O-Tapu is a park with geysers and geothermal pools. It is similar to Yellowstone National Park in US, although not as big or majestic.

Lady Knox geyser

Champagne Pool

Geothermal pool

Redwoods

Whakarewarewa forest, or simply known as "Redwoods", is a man-made forest park only 5km from Rotorua. Its name originated from the California Redwoods that can be found there.

How did a tree native to US came to be in NZ? In late 19th century, the NZ government was looking for trees that can be grown for commercial forestry production. The government experimented with several species, planting them here in Rotorua, to see how well they can grow in NZ environment. Ultimately, Radiata Pine (another native California tree) was chosen as the best suited for NZ climate. Today, most NZ wood production comes from pine.

For some reason, they did not cut down these Redwoods, and now it's a public park. There are many walking and mountain bike trails in the park.

An American Redwood in New Zealand

Rotorua

Rotorua, located 230km south east of Auckland, is a major tourist destination in New Zealand. It is known for 3 things: hot springs, Maori culture and extreme sports.


Rotorua is located next to a large lake, known simply as Lake Rotorua. While Lake Rotorua looks like a normal lake today, it is actually a volcano caldera, a giant crater formed by a volcanic explosion 220,000 years ago. That explosion was so large that it created a giant crater, which eventually filled with water and became Lake Rotorua.

Rotorua and its lake

One feature of Rotorua that all visitors immediately notice is the smell. It's a stinking sulphur smell similar to Yellowstone Park in US, or White Island in NZ. This is caused by sulphur in the air reacting with water, forming hydrogen sulphide. Even in the city, you can see active geothermal vents.

Kuirau Park near Rotorua city center

Geothermal activity in Rotorua

If this reminds you of White Island, this is because Rotorua, White Island and Taupo collectively forms what is known as the Taupo Volcanic Zone. This is the most active volcano zone in NZ, and possibly the world.

Taupo Volcanic Zone (www.sciencelearn.org.nz)

The nearest volcano to Rotorua is called Mount Tarawera, and is 24km from the city. Its last eruption was about 130 years ago, in 1886, and killed about 120 people. Given the rather large distance from Rotorua, most of the people killed were not from the city, but from small villages closer to the mountain. If there was an explosion today, I don't think there will be much damage to the city from the volcano itself, although there could be damage from the accompanying earthquake and tremors.

Artist depiction of Mt Tarawera explosion (www.clearwater.co.nz)

Mt Tarawera today

Can you spot Mt Tarawera?

Rotorua was a major Maori settlement before Europeans arrived. Why would they live in such a dangerous area? The answer is there are many benefits to living in a hot geothermal area. Maori had free heating in winter, and free hot water for bathing and cooking. This was before there was electricity and gas, which we take for granted today.

Even today, we get many benefits. Geothermal power produces about 10% of NZ total energy. And the hot springs is a major tourist attraction.

Ohinemutu, a Maori village in Rotorua

Maori cultural performance (www.tepuia.com)

That explained 2 of the 3 attractions in Rotorua. What about extreme sports? I'm not sure, but I guess that came from some creative and enterprising Kiwis taking advantage of the large number of tourists visiting the city.

Cape Reinga

The question I wondered was, how far north can you go? What's the most northern point in New Zealand? The answer is Cape Reinga. About 1.5 hours drive from Kaitaia, this is a remote location with some beautiful scenery. (Tip: you can click on the link at the end of each blog entry to see a Google map of the location.)

Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga is a popular tourist destination. I was told that, during peak season, thousands of tourists visit the place every day. Perhaps everyone is also curious about the most northern point in NZ. However, it was the middle of winter when I went there, and I saw only about 30 people.

This place has a special significance in Maori culture. According to Maori beliefs, Cape Reinga is where the spirits of the dead leave NZ to return to Hawaiki, their ancestral homeland. It is unknown where exactly is Hawaiki. Historians think that Maori and Pacific Islanders came from Taiwan. The theory is that Maoris, Malays, Filipinos, Hawaiians, Fijians etc. descended from Taiwan's natives.

Where spirits depart New Zealand

Ninety Mile Beach

Ninety Mile Beach is a stretch of beach between Cape Reinga and Kaitaia. The beach is very beautiful and is a tourist attraction. It is extremely long, hence the name, although not quite ninety miles long. It is possible to actually drive on the beach. Adventurous people use it to drive to Cape Reinga, although a 4WD offroad-capable vehicle is required.

Ninety Mile Beach

Te Paki Sand Dunes

Located just 20 min south of Cape Reinga is Te Paki sand dunes. It looks like a huge desert, covered in sand for many kilometers.

Te Paki sand dunes

This is also a tourist attraction. The favorite activity here is sand surfing. It's like snowboarding, but with sand instead of snow.

What I found strange is why is there a sand dune here in New Zealand. Normally, desert is associated with hot and dry weather. But NZ weather is cool and wet. The sand dune looks like an anomaly, in fact it is surrounded by green forests. As I found out later, the sand dune is formed by wind. The strong coastal winds pick up the sand from the beach, and deposited it here.

Scuba diving

Apologies that I have not updated the blog for a long time. In case you're wondering, I'm still alive, and still traveling. I've just been a little lazy in updating the blog. But don't worry. I will continue with my blog.

I have traveled to the Far North, the most northern region of New Zealand. Now, I am slowly traveling south, as Spring approaches and the weather gets warmer. The next few updates will be a little outdated, as they are from more than a month ago.

I stayed at Paihia for a week. This is a tourist town about 3-4 hours drive from Auckland. This region is known as Bay of Islands, which is popular tourist destination in the Far North region. The popular activities are sailing, fishing, kayaking, and diving.

Boats in the bay of Paihia

I signed up for a diving course. I had been interested to learn scuba diving for some time, but just never got around to it. This was the perfect time to take up this hobby. The Bay of Islands is a beautiful place.

But in the middle of winter? You might be wondering, isn't it freezing cold? Well, it's not as cold as you think. You see, unlike land temperature, ocean temperature doesn't change that much between summer and winter. NZ ocean is about 16C during winter, and 22C during summer. Considering the day temperature in Paihia is only 10-12C, the water is actually hotter than the air. This is why most NZ coastal areas are not very cold in winter. The ocean has a moderating effect.

However, 16C is still very cold, because water is a thermal conductor. You will lose body heat rapidly while in the water. To keep warm, I wore a wet suit, which is standard diving gear.

The course consists of a written test, followed by 4 dive sessions. Those sessions were spread over 2 days, doing 2 dives per day.

How is scuba diving like, you ask? Well, it's a little harder than I thought. Although I can swim, the added weight from the scuba gear makes it hard to maneuver in the water. It's also a little scary, at first. Being underwater can feel like being trapped, because you cannot instantly surface to get air if anything goes wrong. We were taught all the emergency procedures, however, so I didn't feel that I was in any danger.

The reward was definitely worth it. The underwater world is very beautiful. The water was very clear, free of any pollution. There were many fishes. On our last dive, we explored an underwater cave. It was very dark inside, but filled with many strange fishes. It's like an alien world. It is an experience I will not forget.

The course was not as expensive as I thought. I expected it to be more expensive than Malaysia, but it wasn't. The cost for the entire course was NZD600, including rental of all scuba gear. This is comparable to a similar course Penang, at the current exchange rate.

The diving school was nice to take pictures for all of us in the course. Besides me, there was another German girl who was also learning to dive.

Wearing our wet suits

Our instructor teaching us how to check our equipment

Getting ready to dive

Jumping into the water

Me in the water

Friendly fishes

Strange fishes

Lobster (I think?)

Underwater cave

Me inside the cave

I don't even know what this is

Bay of Islands area where we dived

Whangarei

I spent the last 2 weeks at a farm near Whangarei. Whangarei (pronounced "fa-nga-ray", because "Wh" is pronounced like "F" in Maori) is the capital of Northland region, the most northern region in New Zealand. Whangarei is located about 160km north of Auckland.

Whangarei, population 52,000.

Being the northern region of New Zealand, the winter is fairly warm. The coldest night I encountered was 4C, but it was about 7-11C at night, on average. That's warmer than Melbourne. When I was in Melbourne, it was as cold as 1C on some nights.

Earlier this year, Northland was hit by a severe drought, the worst in 60 years. Fortunately, the drought has passed, and it rained a lot while I was there. As I found out, winter in Northland can be quite wet.

Like many coastal New Zealand cities, sailboats can be seen. Many sailboats are docked at Whangarei harbour. Thanks to my WWOOF hosts, I had the opportunity to ride on a sailboat. More on that exciting experience later.

Marina near Whangarei city center

Eureka Skydeck

Eureka Skydeck is a prominent landmark in Melbourne CBD (Central Business District). At 92-stories, it is the tallest building in Melbourne, and 2nd tallest in Australia.

Eureka Skydeck

Visitors are permitted to the observation deck on the 88th floor. The ticket price is AUD18.50. If you've been to the top of other skyscrapers, such as Kuala Lumpur's KL Tower, Seattle's Space Needle, or Auckland's Sky Tower, you'll know what to expect: 360-degrees panorama view of the city.

Western view of Melbourne city

Northeastern view of Melbourne city

Me on the observation deck

What's interesting about Eureka Skydeck is the top floors are actually luxury apartments, unlike the other towers, which are mostly office space. The apartments are so luxurious, the windows on the top floors are gold-plated, which is what gives the tower that gold shine. I wonder who would live in (and could afford) one. Russian billionaires? Chinese tycoons? Malaysian politicians?

See that? That's 24-carat gold plating

Great Ocean Road

I am in Melbourne this week for my sister's wedding. My parents are also here. We went on a road trip on the Great Ocean Road. This is a scenic highway on the southern coast of Australia, located west of Melbourne. There are many wonderful seaside views from the side of the road, similar to California's scenic Highway 1.

Beginning of the Great Ocean Road

Sea view from the side of the road

Erskine Falls, about 15 minutes trek from the side of the road

The highlight of the trip is the Twelve Apostles. This is a set of natural rock formations about 280km southwest of Melbourne. They are formed through erosion of cliffs by ocean waves. I'm pretty sure Jesus never set foot in Australia, so I don't know why it's named thus. Perhaps there were 12 of these rock formations in the past, but some of them have collapsed due to erosion. It is inevitable that the existing formations will also collapse one day, although new ones will be formed, by erosion. They are quite beautiful.

Twelve Apostles

More Twelve Apostles

A few kilometers west of Twelve Apostles is Lord Ard Gorge. Similar to Twelve Apostles, this is a seaside cliff where wind and wave erosion have formed interesting patterns. It is also very beautiful.

Lord Ard Gorge

Matamata - Hobbiton

For fans of Lord of the Rings, one of the biggest attractions is Hobbiton Tours. Located at Matamata (pronounced "Ma-tah-ma-tah", similar to Malay word for eye: "mata"), a small town about 170km from Auckland, this is a 2-hour tour of the Hobbiton movie set.

Welcome to Middle Earth

Entrance to Hobbiton movie set

Interestingly, the current set is not the same one that was used in the original Lord the Rings trilogy. This is because the original set was never meant to be a permanent attraction. It was built with temporary material, such as plywood and polystyrene, and has since fallen apart or been demolished. The current set is actually built for the prequel movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and its 2 upcoming sequels. Unlike the original, the new set is built with permanent material, because they wanted to make it a permanent attraction due to huge tourist demand. The story of how the movie set turned into a tourist attraction can be read here.

There are 44 unique hobbit holes on the movie set. They are of different sizes, ranging from 30% scale (3:10 of the size of a human) up to full-size 100% human scale. Why the size difference? This is for perspective tricks in the movie, to make hobbits appear smaller, and humans appear bigger. When the movie needed to make an actor look taller than a hobbit, they'll film him next to a small hole. On the other hand, when they needed to make the actor look as short as a hobbit, they'll film him next to the full-size hole.

Am I as tall as Gandalf?

Sam's house is the same size as the actors

Although it was constructed as a permanent set, there is nothing inside the hobbit holes. They are just empty shells. All the interior scenes in the movies were filmed at a studio in Wellington.

Welcome to my house. Too bad there's nothing inside.

Here is a comparison of some of the locations as they were seen in the movie, and the tour:

The tents where Bilbo had his birthday party

High level view of the Shire

Bilbo and Frodo's home, Bag End

Green Dragon Inn

One thing I did not like about the tour is the price: NZD75. I feel that is a rip-off. An equivalent attraction is the Universal Studios in California, where you can see "behind-the-scenes" tour of other movies. Universal Studios costs USD84, which is slightly more expensive, but gives you a whole day's worth of rides. In contrast, Hobbiton gives you 2-hour tour of hobbit holes, and not much else. It's a good tour, but overpriced.

I would recommend Hobbiton for casual Lord of the Rings fans. For the hardcore fans, there are all the other places where the movies were filmed. Unlike Hobbiton, most of those locations are in remote areas that are not easily accessible. Some are on private land (Hobbiton is also on private land), while others are in remote areas in national parks and need long treks to reach. But that's the charm of New Zealand: rugged wilderness that's the diametric opposite of pristine Disneyland-like theme parks.