Hamsters in a Washing Machine

Very high on my "must do" list in New Zealand was another uniquely Kiwi activity: zorbing. I don't really know how to explain it because I certainly couldn't figure it out until I was actually there doing it.

A zorb ball is three metres (about 9 ft) tall, and looks like a giant golf ball. It's inflated, and there's a little pod in the middle that's maybe a metre and a half high--enough space for three people to fit. You get into the pod into the center, they throw in some warm water to make it slippery, and then push you down a hill.



Erica and I did it together. When we got in the zorb, the staff told us to stand up, and when they tapped the outside we should start running like hamsters. We could stay standing if we wanted, or sit down and enjoy the ride. What they did not explain was that standing or sitting were not really options because pretty much immediately we both fell down and spent the entire ride sliding around, rolling all over and crashing into each other.

I have never laughed so uncontrolably in my entire life.







Unfortunately the zig zag course was only for solo riders, but I still couldn't stop laughing. Check out the silhouette of my legs flying in the air as I go down the hill.