Families who believe there's more to winter than snow can have plenty to enjoy in Te Waipounamu, writes Alexia Santamaria
Many North Islanders associate winter holidays in the lower South with skiing, but there is so much more beyond skis, poles and boards. On a five-day motorhome trip, my family followed the Central Otago Touring Route from Dunedin to Queenstown, past a whole lot of amazing family activities. Our teen and tween loved everything we did and would revisit them all in a heartbeat. Here are their personally tested top spots to visit when travel restrictions allow.
Natures Wonders tour
Having done a few wildlife tours around New Zealand, we can, hand-on-heart, say this is one of the most impressive. Visitors sit in the back of an all-terrain Argo eight-wheel drive vehicle as Perry, a real Southern character, drives around the Reid family farm at the end of the Otago Peninsula, stopping at vistas that will literally take their breath away.
But it's not just about views - this may be the closest you ever get to doe-eyed kekeno (seal) pups and sweet kororā (little blue penguins). Perry and his family have a very hands-off policy (no feeding, tagging, handling or any form of testing on the wildlife) and this has resulted in animals and birds who are comfortable around humans. Curious seals plonk themselves metres away from the viewing shelter and there really aren't words for how you'll feel when Perry opens up small hatches, surrounding visitors with hundreds of kororā.
