Don't let the school holidays sneak up on you with our full list of family-friendly adventures. Photo / 123rf
Don't let the school holidays sneak up on you with our full list of family-friendly adventures. Photo / 123rf
The school holidays are here, along with the daily pressure to captivate the whole family, regardless of the weather. Here are some creative adventures that are perfect for the cooler season.
DOC volunteer days
The Department of Conservation holds one-off volunteer days all around the country. Why not plan your next family holiday around one of these? You could spend a day maintaining tracks, picking up rubbish, planting trees, doing weed control, bird surveying or a range of other activities - and the other days seeing the local attractions.
Finding your balance on a stand-up paddle board is exciting in itself, but doing it in the dark and paddling to little-known glow worm caves takes it to a whole new level. On Lake Ōkareka outside Rotorua you meet before dusk to learn the basics of paddling before pushing off on to the lake as the sun disappears. With headlamps on, paddle by spotlight to the entrance of the caves where you sit on the boards and glide through the twinkling chasm.
Come dusk, paddle to little-known glow worm caves on Lake Ōkareka just outside Rotorua. Photo / Rotorua Paddleboarding
Complaint-free family walks
Sometimes, the key to keeping kids happy on hikes is to make them forget they're walking at all—which is exactly what we suspect will happen on Hanmer Spring's Forest Amble to Fairy Springs Door Walk.
This 30-minute trail is the ultimate game of “I Spy”. You can challenge your kids to be the first to spot all the creatures along the way, including a friendly giant, abseiling possums, a dog, an orangutan, and countless sprite-sized doorways. Also in the area is the Dog Stream Track—a more challenging three-hour return tramp to a 41-metre waterfall—which is bound to appeal to older kids and teenagers.
Hanmer Springs Forest is full of surprises that will delight children on a short, family-friendly walk. Photo / Lee Slater
Family activities with a Plan B back-up
Often overlooked, Hamilton’s Hamilton Zoo is home to over 600 native and exotic animals and boasts the country’s largest free-flight aviary dedicated to native birds and plants. Talk with the caretakers during the free Meet the Keeper sessions or go behind the scenes (or should that be bars?) on a Face2Face animal encounter.
Plan B: head south of the city to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, a 55 minute drive south of Hamilton and the largest ecological ‘island’ on mainland Aotearoa.
Hamilton Zoo is home to over 600 native and exotic animals, including this guy, who's also overwhelmed by the upcoming summer holidays. Photo / David Kerr
Make the most of your local library
Whether it’s a rainy day or a quiet interlude between adventures, the libraries in Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland are perfect destinations for family fun. Engage in diverse activities ranging from arts and crafts to coding and robotics. These workshops are fantastic for learning new skills and making new friends. Libraries often host free movie screenings and live performances that are perfect for family outings. Check their schedules to plan your next visit.
And straight from the horse’s mouth...
Do you want the real scoop on Aotearoa’s best family holidays? Then you’ve got to go to the experts, themselves.
Children, of course.
We talked to kids up and down the country to get the lowdown on the best holidays they’ve ever had, and where they want to go next. From ice cream parlours to fishing trips, to hanging out with the All Blacks, here are a selection of Kiwi kids’ dream holidays...
What would a Kiwi kid's dream holiday look like? Photo / Getty
This story originally featured in 2021 and has been updated
