Zorbing & WCM in NZ (February 20, 2026)
Dad, this blog is for you. Others may read it, but I’m writing it with you in mind as today would have been your perfect day in New Zealand. It began with a pro-tip from one of my amazing coach friends, Judy Schenk, who informed me that we are just one hour away from having a very cool, very unique New Zealand-born experience: Zorbing.
Behold the Zorb. A New Zealand born brilliant and amazing “ride”
I didn’t care how this thing worked, I just knew both Violet and I would love rolling around in it. Turns out, it’s much, much cooler than I had even imagined. Elena, like me, thought that you might roll around and tumble upside down inside this ball, but that’s not what happens!
Instead, it’s partially filled with (soapy) water and you have one of the craziest water-slide-like experiences of your life. Imagine a super fast waterside without so much as a “slide” as a carved out hill track that you essentially slide down inside the ball. Like this:
There are four tracks and, of course, Violet and I went down all of them (individually) and then one of them we went down together in the same ball. (That’s the 300 meter “Steepest, fastest and craziest!” called the “Mega” if you want the details.)
This is the “Dual Straight” where Violet and I raced each other
And yes, Violet and I raced each other on the Dual Straight. She got an early lead, but as I’m nearly double her weight, gravity favored my downhill speed by the end of the ride.
Now, one of the coolest features of Zorbing is that you “wait” in your choice of a hot tub or sauna. Yes, you read that right. While you’re waiting to go up the hill or your turn to go down, if there’s any queue at all, you’re waiting around in a hot tub!!
Has there ever been a better “line” to wait for a ride in your life?!?
If you’re not into hot tubs (your reading the wrong blog), then sauna!
But dad, this isn’t the best part.
After we did all 4 rides (and loved the uniqueness of each one) we drove home and took Elena out to an amazing New Zealand restaurant and dessert place called Dixie Browns. The food was amazing and we’d go back just for that, but we were sitting near the edge of the lake with sweeping views and the best dessert we’ve had so far!
Violet enjoying her double caramel fudge shake with whipping cream
Elena enjoyed double chocolate milkshake and Mississippi Mud Pie
View from our table of the sailboats enjoying the summer winds
And that would have been enough for me to think of you, dad, but it kept getting better. Violet and I took Elena to show off our favorite park that was nearby and enjoyed playing “the floor is lava” on the jungle gym equipment.
Two monkeys climbing up the 3-story slide in this playground
And finally, when I knew I had to dedicate today’s activities to you, we saw this walking aback to our car:
What?!? A McDonald’s airplane you can eat inside of?!?
There it is: “World’s Coolest McDonalds!” over 34,000+ competed
We found it, dad. True, we kind of stumbled onto it, but nonetheless, we found The World’s Coolest McDonalds! Tomorrow, as we drive to Auckland, we’ll see if the food quality meets your high standard, but historically that’s never been a problem. Remember Hong Kong? That restaurant was the OG (original gagster) that served breakfast all day — decades ahead of its time.
But despite the food differences (this one is competing with KFC on the extra crispy chicken front), the ability to eat inside the airplane likely put them over the top in this competition. Either way this has been a 100% authentic New Zealand day. Or, as they spray paint on their walls:
Notice the % shows the country of New Zealand. Clever!
Simply put, I think you’d love it here, dad. Lake Taupo is a lot like “Lake Tahoe” (California side) and the Kiwi’s are crazy fun. They love nature as well as creative thrill seeking (like the bungy jump Violet and I did not too long ago — see related post). They have white water rafting and now Zorbing. All the nature with as much fun as you can pack in. If you ever want to come here, I’d be happy to show you around! In the meantime, thanks for reading this post. I love you and I miss you. I look forward to seeing you soon!
(Oh, and I’m so excited Will is joining us in Auckland. Can’t wait!!!)
Is this a black swan? Or a black goose? Either way: Beautiful!
And … bonus kitty. Always here to greet us when we come “home.”
