Our day began at the Agrodome, a farm/adventure tourism zone. Here, one can find such activities as a Freefall simulator, the Shwoop (a giant swing a la Canada's Wonderland SkyFlyer), the AgroJet (fastest Jet boat in the world), Rotorua Bungee, and the Shweeb. The Shweeb was the reason that I came to the Agrodome thanks to a tip from a friend (thanks J).
A little about the Shweeb. The Shweeb is a recumbent bicycle attached to the underside of a monorail. It allows the rider to travel very quickly around a 200m 'track' with minimal effort. The inventor of the Shweeb hopes that it will catch on as a mass commuting device but personally I'm skeptical. While I would enjoy it immensely, I don't think it would be everyone's favourite method of transportation.
My first run on the Shweeb, I clocked in at 1:01.7 over the 600m track. They keep records and it was the 11th best time by a Canadian in the past 2 years (since it opened). I decided to come back later in the day and try again. After the Shweeb, we wandered around the farm for a while and saw some lambs. They looked very fuzzy.
After wandering around the farm, we came back past the Shweeb on our way back to the car. There was a crew there with cameras. I guess since I was walking past, the operators asked me if I wanted to ride again (for free) so that some pictures could be taken for Arrival magazine (some NZ tourism rag). How could I refuse such an offer? I got 5 free laps to get a feel for the gears and such before coming back later in the day.
The next tacky tourist activity was Zorbing, a chance to fulfill all of one's hamster ball fantasies. You climb to the top of a hill, get inside a giant plastic ball filled with a little water, and roll down. Quite fun! And very hilarious.
After zorbing, we went back to the Shweeb where I was going to try to post a world record time. I didn't expect to have much luck, but I thought it would be fun to try. The world record is 57.1 seconds to complete the track. My second timed attempt was 59.4s. A very respectable time. Only about 100 people have broken the 1 minute barrier according to the host/leader guy. I ended up having the 2nd fastest time of Canadians and the 21st fastest of males under 25. Definitely an enjoyable thing to do.
Next, we had a break for lunch and then off to tacky tourist item number 3, luging down the hillside above Rotorua. You ride the gondola up over the town and then ride back down on a little cart with basic steering and brakes. Like soap-box racing. It was surprisingly fun. I didn't expect much but it was really great. The tracks were fairly long and you got a decent amount of speed riding down the hill.
In the evening, we went to a Maori cultural show and meal, the biggest tacky tourist activity of them all. While I did learn some interesting things about Maori history and how they are struggling to keep their culture alive, the whole thing felt VERY artificial with way too many people with cameras flashing filming the whole thing. It was quite entertaining and the meal was delicious, cooked in a traditional hangi with wonderful savoury flavours.
You would have a fast time.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes you would have a fast time. We've all seen Dan's enormous calves, right? Frankly I'm just a little surprised to discover that there is is someone in Canada with still bigger ones.
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