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Extreme sports

  • Dry zorb

    © ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock

    Photo of a dry zorb rolling down a track

  • Wet zorb

    © wanderluster/iStockphotos

    Photo of two girls in wet zorbs on water

Extreme sports

Extreme sports

New Zealanders are known for their love of the outdoors. The country can offer every extreme sport and adventure activity you could imagine, and some you may not even have heard of. Do you know what zorbing is? It’s something that started in Auckland in 1994 when two young men called Andrew Akers and Dwane van der Sluis invented a very large ball you could sit in. They called it a zorb.

A zorb is made of thick, flexible plastic, and has two layers with air between them. This acts as a cushion for whoever is inside the ball. You can be in there on your own or with friends. If you’re in a dry zorb, you have to put your hands and feet into special straps, and tie a belt around your waist and over your shoulders. The other alternative is to bounce around inside the zorb with some water. For extra fun, some people add soap so they slide around even more.

The zorb starts at the top of a hill and rolls down a track, turning round and round and round. Some tracks are zigzag and some have drops. Depending on how steep the hill is, a zorb can go as fast as 50km per hour. It’s a real adrenaline kick!

Have a look at this video of a zorb in action.

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