I was saving something really special for my 100th review, and OGO Rotorua is it! Although my experience with Ogo was a few months ago, it's as if it happened yesterday. I had been wanting to go zorbing for so many years after seeing it for the first time on some TV show, and finally a dream trip to New Zealand became a reality, which means I was finally going to get to hurl myself down a hill inside a giant inflatable plastic sphere filled with water! Totally normal dream, right?! Before arriving in Rotorua from California, I did a lot of research on zorbing. Ogo's online reservations were easy and their website was very helpful, unlike another zorbing company who never even replied to me after I contacted them through their website twice AND emailed them directly once. Ogo's customer service was by far superior! The amenities onsite were also great: changing rooms with blow dryers, cubby holes/shelves to store bags, clothes, and personal items, hot tubs and heaters to keep you warm before/after your "ride," and lots of couches, chairs, and beanbags to relax in and watch your friends or other people roll down the hill! They even give you a GoPro camera to use if you want or need one, which allows you to film yourself going down the hill. We ended up purchasing a DVD with our photos and video, which were very reasonable priced as well. Since it wasn't too busy the day we were there, and we had so much fun going down the zigzagging trail separately, we decided to buy another round and go down the straight track together in one Ogo ball...SO. MUCH. FUN!!! Zorbing with Ogo Rotorua was literally the highlight of our 10-day trip to New Zealand, and trust me, we did a lot of fun and adventurous stuff there! I still remember how much my cheeks were hurting from smiling so much, and how sore my abs were from laughing the whole way down the hill! What an amazing experience...Highly recommend! read more

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Super fun! We did the newer course that makes you go airborne briefly. It's a wet ride, not available dry. We didn't know that because it doesn't mention it online so we didn't bring our bathing suits. We rented shorts and a shirt for $7 each. The ride lasts for around 60 seconds and was $85. So it's pretty steep. The view is beautiful although you don't get to enjoy it while you're in the ball because you're rolling around and it's kind of foggy. It's really fun and I just kept laughing the entire time. There are hot tubs you can sit in afterwards and that was great because there were 3 of us taking individual rides so we could wait on the others in comfort. I would recommend forming out the extra money to do more than 1 ride. It's pretty expensive for something that's so short lived but we all thought it was worth it. The staff was super nice and friendly. read more

My wife has been wanting to do this for ages. We had such a blast, it should definitely be on everyone's list when they go to Rotorua! We did the long track in the same ball and then did the short track separately (I totally won). Both are worth doing. Going together on the windy track is hilarious and will have you out of breath from laughing. If you wear glasses, they might fog up from the warm water inside the ball. I still recommend keeping them on, just dip them in the water before you go tumbling down the hill! read more

I remember seeing zorbing on the Amazing Race a few years back ago. I thought it looked unique and so much fun that I had to try it. The weather was freezing when we arrived but thankfully they filled up the zorb balls with warm water which helped take the cold out. You're pretty much rolling down on either a straight track or a zig zag track in a giant ball filled with water. The experience was unique and I would love to do it again and maybe try to stay standing up for more than a second since it seemed impossible not to slip. The staff was friendly and the owner was the one driving us up the hill in the SUV while hauling up the zorb balls. I definitely recommend zorbing as a must do activity in Rotorua! read more

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FUN. AS. BALLS. Literally! Rotorua is full of tourist attractions, all amazing in their own right, but OGO-ing/"zorbing"/whatever you want to call it is a definite MUST. There's only a handful of places in the world to do this; might as well do it in its city of origin. They accept walk-ins, but reserve your spot online and you'll get 5% off. You may want to take advantage of that after hearing these prices (listed from single-3 person rates): H20GO (250m, straight, w/ water): $45-105 DRY OGO (same track as above, no water): $35-45 SIDEWINDER (350m, curvy, w/ water): $60-100 Extras: * Professional photos: $30 * Videos: $30 * Both: $50 Oh, and I suppose I should mention one ride isn't enough. Yes, it gets pricey, but I promise you're going to want to try out the different tracks. Sidewinder was our favorite: it's the longest track, and the curves on the way down will have you rolling all over the place. H20GO is basically going straight down the hill slope, but it's much faster and wilder than Sidewinder. There's barely any wait time in between tracks, and they have hot tubs to stay warm in if you do have to wait. Other accommodations include restrooms, changing rooms, cubbies for your things, and towels to rent for $3. If you're doing the H20GO or Sidewinder, YOU WILL GET WET. I definitely recommend wearing swimwear or at least bringing a change of dry clothes. You're free to bring your own GoPro, but if you don't have one, the staff will let you borrow theirs and you can purchase the footage if you like what you captured. Staff members also take pictures during and after your roll, so let them worry about trying to capture the right shot. You sit back, lay back, or just fall back and enjoy every second of the ride! As short-lived as the rides were, my husband and I had so much fun. We originally booked for 1 ride, and ended up going down 2 more times. If you're visiting Rotorua, you've gotta try this! read more

OGO Rotorua - Sidewinder track on the left, and H20GO and DRYGO tracks down the middle. - Zorbing Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

Here's the deal: there are two places to Zorb in Rotorua. There is OGO and there is Zorb. The actual game of rolling down a hill in a giant rubber ball is called a Zorb and it was invented in New Zealand. You can either try it wet or dry. The original inventor sold his business to the location called Zorb. They only do wet runs. OGO was opened by the original inventor after he sold his Zorb business. OGO has wet & dry runs and they have longer more safe courses. At OGO, I did two wet rides: straight and sidewinder. Both were great but you really just need to do the sidewinder. The staff are friendly and helpful. There is a 5% discount if you purchase online or mention that you saw the advertisement on the webpage. The OGO location offers blankets and hot tubs to keep riders warm in the winter. There is free Wifi on site and plenty of outdoor seating for loved ones watching. The best view in Rotorua is at the top of the hill, it overlooks the mountains and the lake. OGO should charge to take people up to see that alone! I was able to bring my own GoPro camera in the pod with me which was totally worth it as you capture amazing footage!! The wet ride is only about 45 seconds to a minute but when you're inside it's more than enough time to enjoy. In fact, I didn't know that I had reached the bottom when the ride was over as you have no perception of horizon in the pod. The water that's poured into the pod is warm so you're not freezing. It goes everywhere in the pod while you're spinning, I found i got more water up my nose on the straight than the sidewinder. You will want to go twice! They do rent clothes that you can get wet if you don't bring any with you. Highly recommend this experience while in Rotorua!!!! read more

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Ogo is located a few minutes drive from the Skyline and Rainbow Springs area. $40 per person to come down the narrow straight or $50 per person to take the longer path down. They fill the ball with warm water, so bring your swimmers! Not the best idea to be wet at 10am alas it was an amazing experience! Went with my niece who is 6 years old and we both screamed the whole way down. They give you a go pro camera for someone to hold whilst in the ball so you can see if you wish to purchase the footage or not. The ride down the long straight probably takes a total of 15 minutes so not that long. They provide rooms to change in and out of your swimmers and also a hot tub for after your ride seeing as the weather was a wee bit chilly. Depends on which staff members you get, the guy that showed us instructions etc was very helpful, however, the girl behind the desk was rude! Maybe she wasn't a fan of waking up early on a Sunday. Loved the experience though! read more

I need to give this business (not the people or place) a one star for their nickel and dime business practices. After I already charged ~$250 for the full package for my kids, I ask for a towel to keep the kids warm between runs and they request an additional $3 per towel. Not to buy it, just to use it. I can't stand a business practice like this. Just add a few dollars to the already expensive price and make me happy with a dry towel for free. I hope those marking the business practices here read this and adjust. Customer service first and always. read more

OGO Rotorua - The three courses. - Zorbing Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

I went with two of my friends, and had a blast! Pros: * We were able to hold a little video camera while inside the ball * There was a hot tub for when we were waiting. Cons: *At first we were a little uneasy on the price of Zorbing, but it was worth it! * There is a weight limit so only about 2-3 people could ride in one ball read more

Here is the thing, there are two places to Zorb in Rotorua and THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO! Not only are the zorbing lanes longer, steeper and overall more fun but the staff was so much more organized and friendlier when compared to Zorb (the other zorbing option in town). The prices are a bit more at OGO but totally worth it. Definitely a ton of fun and definitely recommend. read more

Unfortunately, it is on the expensive side but it was definitely the most fun of the crazy kiwi activities in New Zealand. Bungee jumping seemed boring in comparison. If you can spring for it, buy the three ride combo since you will get more time for your money. The best way to ride inside the balls is with water inside, so bring your swimsuit and try to go during the warmest part of the day. read more