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Published: December 19th 2006
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The Maze
If only we could have taken this map of the maze inside with us! Today we spent another fun-filled day getting out and about in Rotorua thanks to Lina and her ever-useful car. We opted to try some man-made adventures this time and after a big breakfast, we found ourselves on the way to Rototua's one and only 3-D outdoor maze.
It had been a long time since any of us had been in a maze and I for one had forgotten just how much fun they could be. It cost just NZ$6 each to get in (about £2.20) and moments later we were faced with our challenge. I should point out that it wasn't your traditional hedge affair but more like a huge grid of strategically nailed planks of wood. The object of the game wasn't to make it to the centre either as you would do in a normal maze. In this one we had to find our way to each fo the four different coloured corners and then make our way back out again via the same entrance as we chose to go it (there are two different ways in). To make it more fun, we split up into teams and turned our maze exploration into a bit of a race:
Which Way Now?
It's not as easy as it looks, is it Lina? me and Lina versus Glynn and Jish.
It was almost impossible to cheat anywhere on the course as the wooden boards had been fixed up so high that we couldn't see over them, even when we were up high in the towers. Glynn of course had Jish to help him and I'm sure I spotted Jish being lifted up to perr over the boards and report back to Glynn which way they needed to go. Alas Lina, petite as she is, was just a bit too big for me to lift up so we tried to plot our course using only our cunning and general sense of direction. This unfortunately didn't work for long as I gradually remembered that I don't actually have a sense of direction! Lina was better at remembering where we had been before but it was Glynn and Jish that won the challenge a good ten minutes ahead of me and Lina. At that point, Lina and I decided to try and race for the finish but I should have known better than to be left alone in a place with no directions! I finally emerged about 5 minutes after Lina who had found her
In the Green Corner
Glynn and Jish celebrate as they make it to the green corner of the maze. way out almost straight away after we began to race each other. I took my place in the old-fashioned stocks and allowed Glynn, Jish and Lina to gloat for a while about their superior navigational skills. Oh well.
Now, I may have mentioned before that Glynn has been dying to have a go at mini-golf ever since we started travelling so Lina and I agreed to have a go this afternoon. What I didn't quite agree to was the venue for this golfing tournament - the Jurassic Mini-Golf theme park! If you don't know by now, I have a bit of an aversion to dinosaurs so when we pulled up outside, I waited in the car for a bit to see whether Lina dn Glynn would get eaten by the life-size monsters leering about the golf course. After about 10 minutes, it didn't look like anyone was about to die so I tentatively got out of the car and went to collect my little golf club and ball.
I have to say, scary prehistoric creatures aside, the mini-golf was a lot of fun to play. It seemed like an inspired idea to theme the golf area with dinosaurs
Jish Eye View
I told you he was cheating! (even if they are a bit scary) as the land is broken up by small thermal vents that gave the place a bit of a stone age Flintstones feel. The course itself though had seen better days with some very wrinkled and threadbare fake grass carpets surrounding each of the 18 holes. Although the place could have done with a bit of TLC, it kind of made playing the less exciting holes a bit more challenging. Some of the dinosaurs were pretty scary I have to say although the fact that the diplodocus''s neck had broken off at some point and been cemented back on was quite amusing. I managed to muster enough courage to touch the triceratops but I couldn't bear to get close to the big T-Rex - just too damn scary folks!
Unfortunately we finished playing our round too late to make it onto the go-karts. It's kind of frustrating that so much stuff closes at 5pm here in New Zealand and today was no exception. Back at the hostel, we settled in for another evening together although this time we would have to say goodbye at the end of it. Tomorrow, we move on to
Uh Oh!
T-Rex watching over the mini golf course - scary! Taupo but we have plans to meet up with Lina again next weekend if all goes well - fingers crossed. Thanks, Lina - we had the best time with you!
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Linda
non-member comment
Dino-Phobia
Hi there - Looks like that was some good aversion therapy, Jude. Next time you come across a bunch of Dinos I expect you'll be up an' at 'em no problem!