Take 2 people, put them in a human size hamster ball, add some water and then push them down a hill – glorious chaos with OGO Rotorua in New Zealand!
Over the last few years I’ve ticked off heaps of my bucket list items – from living in a van in Australia and going on safari in South Africa to scuba diving in Iceland to swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines…not bad!
But there’s been one thing that’s alluded me heaps – that I’ve been stoked on for a while – but that I simply haven’t found the right time and place to experience…sphering.
Sphering?!
Ok so first off I need to point out that you may know sphering under a different name – zorbing. However technically zorbing is a brand rather than the actual activity – a sport that was invented by the owners of OGO in Rotorua, New Zealand who invited me along to get it ticked off my list!
Incase you still dont know what it is imagine a downhill track, full of twists and turns, now put yourself in what can only be described as a human sized hamster ball and roll down it!
…who could say no to that?!
The Ogo Experience
As I rocked up under the New Zealand sun I was pretty damn stoked to get started, I seriosly haven’t been this amped for something for a long time…I was like a kid in a candy store!haha!
After signing in on their iPad logins (I had a massive geek out with this tech, it made all the boring paperwork bit at the beginning easy and fun!) I whacked on my boardies and we were driven to the top of the track.
Boardies?! Oh did I not mention that they fill the spheres with water before you roll down?!
Me and my trade buddy opted for 2 runs in the spheres – the first of which was a head to head race straight down the hill!
After sliding into the sphere into the thankfully warm water we stood and looked down towards the finish line….3….2…..1…..GO!
Within seconds I’d slid of my feet and was being thrown around the sphere – it was like being in a human washing machine and I went backwards, forwards, sideways – I literally had no control over my bodily movements – it was hilariously good fun!
…oh and for the record I won ;)
After emptying ourselves out of the spheres with beaming grins we kicked back in the on site hot tubs stoked for the next run…it was a tough race after all and we deserved the break!
Twos Company…
Our second run we mixed it up in two ways – instead of a straight run down the hill we were going to tackle the meandering slalom course but more amusingly instead of racing we were both going to head down the hill, in the same sphere…with even more water!
Now I thought the single race was fun if slightly disorientating – but the tandem slalom course was another level of hilarious chaos!
Within seconds of getting started (our guide kindly gave us a push start!) there were legs and arms everywhere and me and my buddy were being thrown around, half drowning but in fits of giggles – it’s a hard experience to describe…chaos….glorious chaos!
The twist and turns of the track meant neither of us had any clue which way was down, up, forwards or backwards – and neither of us expected to literally bounce the sphere – for a brief moment both me and my buddy were airborne, suspended amongst the water before hitting the ground and carrying on down the course!
I seriously haven’t had that much fun in AGES!
What’s even more fun about the whole OGO experience is that they allow you to take your GoPro in to capture all the fun – and if you dont you can hire one of theirs to either film or take pics!
So what more can I say?! If you’ve got it on your bucket list go out there and try it out, if it isn’t o your bucket list – then pencil it in NOW!
If you’re heading to New Zealand anytime soon and passing through Rotorua go hang out with the OGO Team and experience it all for yourself – its only a short bus ride from town and the whole thing takes less than an hour so it’s a great addition to your North Island itinerary!
A single ride start at $45NZD (around £22.50) per person on the straight run or $60NZD (around £30) for the slalom sidewinder course. Or you can package up 2 rides for $80NZD (around £40) or go all out with 3 for $99NZD (around £50).
**PLEASE NOTE – I received a 2 complimentary runs courtesy of Ogo – but rest assured all opinions are honest and my own**
This looks amazing! Defo on my list! Great pics. Were they taken with the GoPro?
was soon much fun! indeed all shot on my GoPro Hero 4 Silver – you can check out my review on this link;
https://www.backpackerbanter.com/blog/review-gopro-hero-4-camera
Hey guys it seems you had as much fun as us! OGO is the place to be in Rotorua!
hahahaha awesome times – loved your video!