With winter here and rainy days becoming increasingly more frequent, the search for child-friend activities will be a focus for many parents. While there’s always a local playground to frequent or a mall to visit, it can often be intimidating to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, especially with volatile toddlers in tow. Lucy Slight sought the insight of an expert for a hot list of places that have been vetted already, to take the uncertainty out of embarking on a new expedition with the kids this winter.
Parents know the struggle of finding activities to do with the kids at all times of the year, but especially in winter. There are many boxes that need to be ticked; entertaining for the whole family, facilities set up with children in mind, food nearby to satiate the constant hunger and in the current financial climate, affordability is appreciated too.
When a new app called Roam With Kids launched earlier this month, it climbed to the 11th spot on the New Zealand Apple App Store chart on day one and hit number four within three days, proving parents are desperate to find child-friendly places to explore in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Created by Auckland mother of two, Renata Wiles, the app (which costs $2.99 per month) features more than 200 spots across the super city, including playgrounds, pram-suitable walks, indoor and outdoor activities and eateries the whole whanau will enjoy.
“Auckland has so many amazing child-friendly spots, and I wanted to create something that would give parents the confidence to explore areas of the city they were unfamiliar with, and save them time along the way,” says Wiles. “I know as a parent myself, the mental load of planning things to do each day can be a lot.”
