Skyline Rotorua

The luge - a gravity cart with a handlebar that steers and brakes - was invented in New Zealand and Skyline runs it here on five tracks graded from a wide scenic route to genuinely fast advanced ones. A gondola takes you up Mount Ngongotaha, and between runs a chairlift carries you and the cart back to the top, so most people buy a multi-ride pass and stay a couple of hours. The view over Lake Rotorua and the city from the top is the other half of the ticket, and there is a restaurant, a zipline course, a mountain-bike park with its own gravity trails, and a stargazing tour at night. First-timers must do the scenic track once before being allowed on the faster ones. Everything is weather-dependent: the luge closes in heavy rain and the tracks are slippery when wet.

What you actually see

• The luge tracks - five, from scenic to advanced, on the invention's home ground.
• The gondola - up Mount Ngongotaha over the forest.
• The lake view - Rotorua and its lake from the top.
• The bike park - gravity trails using the same lift.

When to go

Any season. Luge closes in heavy rain. Buy a multi-ride pass - a single run is over quickly. Evenings bring the stargazing tour.

Honest expectations

Single rides are poor value; the passes are the sensible option. Everyone must ride the scenic track first. Queues build in school holidays and cruise-ship days.

Nearby

Rotorua is downhill; Agrodome and Zorb are further north on the same road.