What is Zorbing you may ask. Well let me clarify, Zorbing is the act of climbing into a
giant transperant bouncy ballesque orb, and having someone roll that ball down a hill with
you in it. The activity began in New Zealand and has now spread to numerous places
around the world. There are two kinds of Zorb experience, Harnessed and unharnessed. If
you choose the harnessed option, you will be strapped into a harness inside the orb and you
will be spun upside down, around and around during your descent,both single and double
harness orbs exist, so you can even bring a friend on you bizarre adventure. The second
way to zorb, is the free zorb, where there is no harness, and up to three people can dive in
and be tossed about by the rolling motion, although the slight G force effect you feel does
inhibit movement once you get the ball rolling. This option often includes water, mainly to
make it easier to dive in and slide out of the sphere. This second option is the way I
experienced Zorbing on Queensland's Gold Coast.
I had seen the sport on tv, and ofcourse...it went onto the list. When a friend suggested that
she wanted to go Zorbing for her 21st birthday I was thrilled by the idea. I am told I was the
only one who had heard of it and the others she asked responded what is that?
So, off I went to Queensland for the first time, the furthest from home I had ever been, it
was a trip of ups and downs...quite literally. A white knuckle ride in something that I am
sure was a car in a previous life up a hill to be hosed down have buckets of cold water
thrown over me in preparation for diving into a giant plastic ball with a drag queen and his
brother, to be rolled down a hill at a suprising and immobilising speed. All in the name of
fun and the spirit of adventure. In order to be a true adventure, there had to be an added
challenge. Queensland delivered. The Sunshine state, as far as I can see should really be
called the everything is big and wants to bite you state.
During the hosing down and the emptying of buckets, a water wasp type of insect
(etymology is not on the list) had found its way into the Zorb ball. We are now hurtling
down a grassy hill inside a giant plastic ball and I am pinned down unable to move, I feel
an excruciating pain in my left arm, look down and there it is! The most horrible black
beetle -like wasp stinging me and there is absoloutely nothing I can do but watch in pain.
Taking some slight comfort in the fact I know once the ball stops, and I can move my other
arm, it's life is over. After what seemed like a lifetime, not only for me but also for my
accomplice who's nipple ring was being slowly torn out by an unmoveable toe, the ball
stopped. The wasp was swatted. The vein from the area I was stung began to swell and turn
red on it's way towards my heart. I made the reasonable request to be taken to a hospital or
medical practitioner, in true Queenslander style my cries of " I could die here!" I need a dr,
an anti venom! Something!" were met with the following response " Beer?" This went back
and forward for a while. Eventually I gave in. We went and had a beer. I didn't die, and
although being stung by a wasp, or having a body piercing slowly torn from its location
while rolling down a hill in a giant bouncy ball after being hosed off with a couple of
people I had just met isn't everyone's idea of a good time, it does make a good story.
Peace, Love and adventure hungry insects
