Campervanning in winter with kids turns out to be brilliant. Photo / Getty Images
Campervanning in winter with kids turns out to be brilliant. Photo / Getty Images
It’s certainly possible to take the family campervanning across New Zealand in the dead of winter, but is it enjoyable? Anna Sarjeant braves subzero temperatures to find out
ITINERARY: 2 DAYS IN ROTORUA IN JULY
FRIDAY
With big plans but a small budget, our family of three set off for a quick winter break in Rotorua.
As it was our 2-year-old son’s first campervanning excursion we were unsure what dramas would unfold, but he promptly dozed off before Bombay, snoring his way through traffic jams and burger stops.
It provides us with a surprisingly stress-free start – to what would become a surprisingly stress-free getaway.
The swimming pool at All Seasons Holiday Park. Photo / Andrew Warner
4pm Arrival at All Seasons Holiday Park, Rotorua
Your chosen campground can make or break a holiday and we’ve had our fair share of shockers, from micro cabins with gaping holes in the door, to an angry campground owner who barred all the kids from the “kids room” to watch rugby.
Mentioning no names.
But All Seasons Holiday Park only enhanced our family holiday experience. It’s dinosaur-themed, so your little one will be elated as soon they see a T-rex at the front gate. There’s also a decent playroom stacked with toys (including a frightening selection of maimed Barbies), pedal cart hire, an enormous playground and an indoor thermal pool, heated to 30-33C, as well as a steaming hot tub.
All this for $58 per night for a powered campervan site.
Now for what you don’t get: A fight for a saucepan in the communal kitchen; a long wait to use the shower and myriad soggy tea towels. There’s a lot to be said for a quiet campground during the low season.
Top tip: This is also a dog-friendly campground with six fully fenced campsites available.
All Seasons Holiday Park in Rotorua only enhanced our family holiday experience. Photo / Supplied
6pm: Redwoods Treewalk at night
Seeing as our son had indulged in a mammoth three-hour car nap, we knew we’d scuppered his 8pm bedtime.
Off to the Redwoods Treewalk we went, an activity that is – arguably – even better in the dark.
Situated in Whakarewarewa Forest, a series of wooden suspension bridges weave between 75m-tall redwood trees, dressed in creative illuminations and lanterns that bathe the forest in a magical glow. With butterflies and owls projected on to the behemoth trunks, imagine a forest-sized bedside lamp and then put your mesmerised kids in the middle of it.
There’s a strict rule prohibiting children being carried so if you have a toddler erring on the side of lazy (like us), buggies are provided that have been adapted for the narrow walkways.
What transpired was a rather comical adventure into the treetops – our son squeezed into his metal, asylum-looking contraption, and quite unhappy about it. He did eventually warm up to the device, but he preferred to get out and run across the bridges to make them wobble.
Venture along Redwoods’ Treewalk Nightlights; an illuminated and elevated forest walkway. Photo / Redwoods Treewalk
Perfect for pub grub and shareable small bites, Good Eastern Tap House is just a 10-minute drive from All Seasons Holiday Park. Part of the Good George Brewing franchise, the venue is open, spacious, and above all, warm and inviting.
SATURDAY
9.30am: Meet Shaun the Sheep at Agrodome
This is the first time I’ve gone out of my way to attend a sheep show. I’ve booked it mainly for Shaun the Sheep (of Wallace and Gromit fame,) who’s now a main feature of Agrodome’s farm experience, but five minutes into the live sheep-shearing show I realise the true characters are the living, breathing, non-plasticine sheep.
There are 20 different sheep on stage, all standing on a podium and varying in degrees of enthusiasm and co-operation. Dorper’s there for the food. Dorset Horn is asleep, and Border Leicester is so proud of his cameo appearance he sits regally, nose raised. Unbeknown to Leicester, at the top of the platform sits Merino, and he is definitely the Don.
The true characters at Agrodome in Rotorua are the living, breathing, non-plasticine sheep.
Our son enjoys 20 minutes before losing interest, but with an excellent playground, cafe and various giant-sized Shaun the Sheep statues on-site that’s not a problem.
We later watch a working-dog show before jumping on a large tractor and trailer ride for the highlight of the trip: a detailed farm tour, including three stops to feed the sheep and alpacas and a final stop to grab a stick-full of farm-made honey.
Our son loved feeding the eager yet gentle farm animals, all of which looked steam-cleaned and extra cuddly. The alpacas caused a fit of giggles and the sheep enjoyed myriad head pats.
Shaun the Sheep at Agrodome in Rotorua.
1pm: Swim at the campsite pool
Exhausted by all the animal meet-and-greets, we get back to the campsite and little man sleeps soundly in the back of the campervan. Admittedly, we all do.
The next few hours are spent in the campsite’s swimming pool, which is fully covered (retractable during hotter months) and as warm as a bath. It’s such a luxury to enjoy a mid-afternoon swim much as you would in summer, while holidaying in the dead of winter.
If you’re feeling extra flashy, you could try the new Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa beside Lake Rotorua. Young children aren’t permitted but if you’re 16+, you can enjoy a sanctuary of geothermal pools, waterfall showers and wellness massage.
A perk for families who decide to holiday in winter is that night activities better align with bedtime. While in summer you may have to wait until 9pm for nightfall, in winter the sun sets at 5pm, lending itself to a magical ride on the Rotorua gondola at dusk.
While children aged under 6 are free, an adult ticket comes in at an eye-watering $42, and that’s before you’ve added drinks and snacks.
Our son (and budget) was too small for the luge, so we moseyed around the Jelly Bean store and Market Kitchen, which is a canteen-style cafe serving light bites and refreshments at a price that won’t cause further bankruptcy. Three hot chocolates and a photo with the Rotovegas sign later, we took a return descent on the gondola in the dark. City lights and distant shimmery mountains flooding our peripheral.
It stung the wallet but with zero-crowds and a cracking setting for sunset, Skyline Rotorua was a treat.
Zero-crowds and a cracking setting for sunset, Skyline Rotorua is a treat in winter.
A word to the wise, don’t let your children see Lady Jane’s Ice Cream Parlour before dinner, or you’ll be in for a turbulent mealtime. Located at the lake-end of Tutaneki St, AKA Eat Streat, I recommend starting at the top.
Eat Streat isn’t a long boulevard, but it is jampacked with dining options on both sides. Craving carbs on a cold night, we chose to eat Margherita pizza at Urban Gusto, a popular Italian eaterie, along with mulled wine and beer. There are also plenty of craft beer pubs, a steakhouse, Indian cuisine, Thai and more.
Doubling back to Lady Jane’s, fingers already frosty, my son wasn’t deterred by the cold and chose a soft-serve ice cream. Easily persuaded, I joined him. Eat Streat, albeit outdoors, enjoys a covered – and heated – walkway, so we managed another 40 minutes before succumbing to the chill.
SUNDAY
We wake up to find forgotten togs frozen to the picnic bench outside the campervan; the only indication the temperature plummeted overnight. With three in the bed and a nifty aircon system, we’re snug and well-rested.
9.30am: Coffee at Fancy Meow Cat Cafe
As Rotorua’s first cat cafe and NZ’s only cat cafe with purebred cats and kittens, I tried my best to rally the troops into this cute Rotorua establishment. I’d found a pamphlet at the campground and we even drove past it, but both my husband and son sniffed at the mention of combining a latte with a lap cat.
I am confident, had they seen the website (as I had) with the likes of Mario the Ragdoll and Maomao, a Pursian fluffball vying for attention, they’d have been first through the door; arms outreached for a cat cuddle. Alas, no luck this time. Hopefully, you have better success.
Rotorua Lakefront Boardwalk and Playground.
10.30: Rotorua Lakefront Boardwalk and Playground
The picture-perfect place to both excite and exhaust little ones into a long nap while you drive home, the playground on Rotorua’s lakefront is a sprawling tangle of slides, sandpits, swings, flying fox and climbing apparatus. It will keep your kids occupied for hours. That is until they see the lake-fronting boardwalk with its seaplanes, giant black swans and adjacent green spaces.
Everybody has a good time running up and down this picturesque parade, no matter your age.
The entire area is exceptionally community-focused and clearly acts as a much-loved meeting point for families and friends, locals and out-of-towners alike.
With the sun pelting down and a perfectly blue sky smudging into Rotorua’s crystal-clear lake, it’s a beautiful spot on a cool, crisp winter’s day. The only mistake I made while staring across the water was to say, ‘I bet it’s brilliant in summer”.
