Skyline Rotorua

A gondola lifts you quietly up the forested flank of Mt Ngongotahā, and within minutes the whole geothermal basin opens up below — Lake Rotorua spread out blue and wide, steam drifting from the ground in the distance, the town reduced to a pale ribbon along the shore.

At the summit sits the original Skyline luge, where you take a gravity-powered cart down one of three sealed tracks carved into the hillside. The scenic route winds gently through the trees; the advanced track drops fast through banked corners. A chairlift carries you back up to go again.

The terrace at the top is a destination in itself, with restaurants, a market-style buffet and a wine tasting room all facing that view. Ziplines, mountain bike trails and a cliffside swing wait nearby, and on clear nights the summit reopens for stargazing.