Saturday Apr 7: The Rotorua North Rotary Club Charity Flea Market. Open every Saturday next to the playground in Kuirau Park from 7am to 1pm. A huge range of produce, food, goods and entertainment, with proceeds going back to the Rotorua community.
Saturday Apr 7: The Friends of the Rotorua Library book sale. From 9am to 1pm in the Old Tea Kiosk in Kuirau Park. Thousands of books at bargain prices with all proceeds going to the Rotorua District Library.
Saturday Apr 7: Turangi Colours Art & Food Festival, Turangi. Art and food market in the town centre from 10am. Free workshops and demonstrations, Rangipo Underground Power Station tours, a gala dinner, music, art and children's activities. Visit www.turangi.org for details.
Saturday Apr 7-Monday Apr 9: The Rotorua Model Railway Club Model Train Show. At the Arawa Park Racecourse on Fenton St. Great displays and plenty for the kids. From 9.30am-5pm Saturday, 9.30am-4pm Sunday and 10am-2pm Monday. Entry is $6 for adults, $3 for children or $18 for a family pass.
Saturday Apr 7-Sunday Apr 8: The Easter Weekend Antique Fair. At the Rotorua Convention Centre. Items for sale include furniture, vintage tools, china, crystal, silver, clocks, collectables and more. Open 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. Adults $6, free entry for children.
Saturday Apr 7-Monday Apr 9: The Soundshell Market. Open three days during Easter. From 9am-3pm at the Rotorua Lakefront. Plenty of free parking and free entry. For inquiries call (07) 332 5782.
Saturday Apr 7-Monday Apr 9: Archery New Zealand North Island Target Archery Championships. Rotorua Archery Club will host the North Island's best archers at Smallbone Park. Free entry. 9am start. For information, contact Gordon Randle on (07) 349 2555.
Sunday Apr 8: The Hot Lakes Craft Market. At the Rotorua Arts Village (RAVE) on the corner of Hinemoa and Hinemaru streets. Delicious food, hot coffee and a wide range of crafts all made in New Zealand to delight all ages. From 10am-2pm rain or shine.
10 Free Things to Do in Rotorua this Easter
The Great Easter Egg Hunt: From Friday until Monday - between 9am and 5pm - The Great Easter Egg Hunt is on again at Rotorua Museum. To take part, you have to find all the eggs (and the Easter Bunny) to go in the draw for some yummy prizes. Entry is included with Museum admission, which is free with proof of Rotorua residency.
Head along to the Rotorua combined churches' Easter service at the City Focus at 10am.
Join the flock of the Ngongotaha Combined Churches Procession of Witness as they parade the "Cross of Christ" through the township to mark Good Friday tomorrow. Assemble at the scout/guide hall on the corner of Western and Ngongotaha roads at 1.15pm for a 1.30pm start.
From tomorrow until Sunday, locals can check out talented BMXers competing in the Rabo Direct BMX New Zealand Championships. The event is being held at the Rotorua BMX Track on Te Ngae Rd. About 900 riders will face off with transtasman test spots up for grabs. The racing starts at 9.15am Friday.
Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Doesn't matter if it's raining a little as the steam will help you feel a bit warmer. Take the kids to look at the colours of the artist's palette, the bright orange at the Champagne Pool or the green of the Devil's Bath. There's a choice of walks so you can head back to the dry or tire the kids out with a longer amble. Free to Rotorua residents with photo ID and proof of address.
The library is free to Rotorua residents and there's no fee for children's books.
Walk in the Redwoods. Follow the red track for a short walk, the blue for something longer or the green if you want to get a view of the city. The yellow track also leads to a viewing point above Whakarewarewa Village but, if you have some tired legs, you can retrace your steps to the start.
Take a drive to Hamurana Springs and go for a walk to the spring. Play spot the trout as you walk by the stream with points. There are two different walks to get to the springs.
Get baking. Baking can be fun for all ages, start with something simple like cutting out biscuits and decorating them with icing or sprinkles. Older children can take more of a lead role in the kitchen, try cupcakes, muffins or a fancy, yet delicious cake. Find recipes in your cookbooks or go online for something more unusual. Baking can be a lesson in maths and science as you measure out the ingredients and watch your cakes rise through the oven door.
Take the children trout fishing on one of the beautiful lakes or rivers in the district.
Pack a picnic and head to one of Rotorua's picturesque areas - lakes, forests or parks - and enjoy some yummy food with some good company.
10 Easter activities for children
Easter Egg Decorating: This could be a bit messy so make sure this is done in a place and in clothes you don't mind getting a bit of paint on. Boil some eggs, pull out some paints or felts, glue and glitter and let the children decorate them however they feel. This is probably better suited as an outdoor activity.
Easter Egg Hunt: This is an activity for kids that shouldn't be left out of Easter celebrations. It's fun, entertaining and can be very active. An Easter egg hunt doesn't necessarily mean a lot of effort. Hide prizes around the home or backyard and leave clues - pictures, words or even a treasure map - for those taking part to find. Each clue would lead to the next one and the last clue would show your kids the way to their prize or prizes.
Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt: This is just like the traditional Easter egg hunt, as above, but done in the dark - either at night or with all the curtains closed in your house - using a flashlight.
Colouring In: Print off some Easter-related pictures from websites such as http://printables.kaboose.com/holidays/easter/coloring-pages/easter-color.html and let your children colour them in.
Egg and Spoon Race: This is a classic relay race game played with boiled eggs and spoons. The team has to get their egg from start to finish without breaking it. You can make it more difficult by placing obstacles in their path, depending on the age of your kids. It can be one for the whole family to enjoy.
Make Easter Cards: Give your children some cardboard and let them decorate them as they like with bunnies and eggs. Then, let them address their cards to each other or whoever they like and hand them out.
Easter Storytelling: Share the story about how we came to celebrate Easter with your children. Let them know what it's all about and what it represents.
Easter Story writing: After telling your children all about Easter, get them to write their own story and their interpretation of what they have been told. Afterwards, they can read their story back to you and anyone else around.
Easter Word Search: You will be able to find some on the internet or you can create your own. Hide Easter-themed words in a pool of letters. Each word on the list is hidden in the pool of letters. Words may be hidden horizontally, vertically, diagonally, forward, or backward. When you find each word, circle it.
Make Easter-themed food: Children enjoy helping mum and dad prepare meals. As a snack, make fairy bread with bunny or egg-shaped cookie cutters or make jelly using moulds in the shape of bunnies. If you don't want to use Easter characters, use colour themes instead.
