A day to treat your mum!
Show mum the time of her life this Mother’s Day, whether she’s craving action or R&R, writes Lorna Thornber.
We all know our mums are one of a kind so don’t pass them off this Mother’s Day with some generic gift.
Arranging for the two of you, or the entire family, to spend the day together doing something she’ll enjoy will make it one to remember.
Here are a few suggestions for spoiling the lady who gave you life, whether she craves adrenaline or R&R. She’s raised you, so she should be up for pretty much anything right? If your mum’s idea of a good time is getting her heart rate up on a trail or tackling an extreme sport, there are plenty of options up and down the country. ● Bond over a zip-line adventure above Waiheke Island’s gorgeous Onetangi Valley. Imagine the pair of you hurtling side by side over native bush and vineyards, taking in panoramic views of Auckland city and its eastern beaches. EcoZip’s experiences, which include rides on three zip-lines, start from $119 an adult and $79 a child (or $317 for a family), and include pick-up from Matiatia Ferry Terminal and a tour of the island’s beaches, olive groves, vineyards and multi-million dollar homes. ● A white-water rafting trip could be the way to go. Raftabout in Rotorua offers an experience which, for $85 a person, combines action, adventure and culture in one adrenaline-pumping package. Master the techniques on land and water before hitting the river, where you’ll snake through bushclad canyons and plunge down the seven-metre Tutea Falls: the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall. ● For a family adventure for a good cause, register for the fivekilometre Jennian Homes Mother’s Day Fun Run and Walk, on at more than 20 locations nationwide. Your $20 entry fee (or $15 mum-and-child combo) will go to the Heart Foundation for Women campaign, which is striving to help beat heart disease – the single biggest killer of Kiwi women. There’s nothing like a cruise to lull muminto a state of relaxed bliss. ● With its relatively small boat, Southern Discoveries’ Encounter Nature Cruise affords close-up views of Milford Sounds’ star attractions, from towering Mitre Peak and Fairy Falls to the resident wildlife, which includes fur seals, dolphins and rare penguins. If mum’s game, you can don a couple of the provided raincoats, stand under the falls and fill your drink bottles with the glacial water. Tickets $92 an adult and $20 a child. ● Enjoy a cooked breakfast, fresh fruit and bubbles as you cruise Lake Taupo, taking in the potentially snow-capped mountains of Tongariro National Park, secluded bays and Maori rock carvings. Cruise Cat’s tour costs $64 a person. ● In Auckland, there are numerous ways to treat mumto a relaxed day on the Waitemata, from daytime cruises with stopovers at the likes of Devonport and Rangitoto to sunset voyages (some with drinks and/or dinner included). This Mother’s Day, you can enjoy high tea on the high seas with Hauraki Blue Cruises’ two-hour jaunt around the gulf islands. Tickets are$59 for adults and $49 for kids, and include a selection of sweet and savoury treats. Speaking of high teas, they’re a perfect way to makemumfeel like a VIP, particularly if they’re in a posh setting. ● Mums with discerning tastes will appreciate the High Tea at Le Cordon Bleu in Wellington, where they can enjoy edible works of art by the school’s patisserie students complemented by Fair Trade tea and coffee. High tea for one costs $25, or $35 with a glass of champagne. ● The rambling Gothic mansion that is Highwic in Auckland’s Epsom is an ideal spot for a long, high-tea style luncheon. Enjoy your meal in the billiard room before checking out the exhibition of vintage wedding dresses ‘‘Till Death Us Do Part’’. Tickets are $45 each and include entry to the exhibition. ● Mums who’d prefer something a bit more substantial may enjoy the long Mother’s Day lunch hosted by celebrity chef Annabelle White at The Thistle Inn in Wellington. Indulge in a lunch inspired by the former Food Detective as she imparts her wisdom on cooking simple, wholesome meals, and discusses her world travels and relationship with her own mum. Tickets are $65. Mums are notorious for putting others before themselves. Help yours soothe her mind, body and soul with a special pampering session: ● Yogi Cathryn Munro will give a talk from her book Spilt Milk Yoga at a session for mums at Wellington Yoga Centre on Mother’s Day. Listen to Munro’s musings on how motherhood RICHARD SIDEY provides some profound lessons on love, acceptance and joy, before completing a series of gentle poses aimed at energising the body and quieting the mind. Admission is free. ● There’s nothing quite like the sense of almost comatose relaxation that comes from a long soak in a hot spa. At Onsen Hot Pools in Queenstown you and mumcan settle into the spring-fed water of a private spa with panoramic views across Shotover River. Soak in the alpine scenery as you enjoy locally sourced treats such as Gibbston Valley wines, Kapiti icecream and Whittaker’s chocolate. $144 gets the pair of you an hour. ● Good food and wine are balms for the soul, particularly when enjoyed in gorgeous natural surrounds. The Hunter Gatherer Hawke’s Bay Tour will take you andmumon a trip through the region’s famously lovely landscapes, stopping for tastings at wineries, Rush Munro’s, The Figgery, Telegraph Hill and, if time permits, tour guide Juliet’s favourite pie shop. Forage for still more culinary delights at a local farmers’ market before heading to Juliet’s for lunch.