Are we there yet?
Kids’ top destinations
Thea, 11, Paihia
The Waitangi Mountain Bike Park is such a cool place. There are tracks for all abilities. I love doing the jumps. Te Ara Kaanihi is my favourite track. It’s free to ride but everyone should definitely join the Register to Ride donation programme as the money goes towards maintaining the tracks.
I love swimming out to Motu Iti — the Paihia swimming pontoon — for bombs — mastering the manu! Then icecream from Kingfisher dairy afterwards.
And snorkelling in Russell at Tapeka Point — there are heaps of fish, and two beaches to choose from, depending on the wind and the swell.
Zoya, 9, Auckland
My favourite thing is catching the ferry to Waiheke and looking at our beautiful city. I like to stay on Waiheke and go swimming and eating out. I also love going to the many farmers’ markets in Britomart, Parnell and Clevedon; as a family, we go to get ingredients for dinner and I cook with my dad.
Gochu is my favourite restaurant — it’s in Commercial Bay. Gochu serves cool Korean cuisine — the pork buns with a buttery sauce are just delicious and I also love their fried chicken.
Auckland Museum always has interesting things to look at. I love seeing olden-day toys and the house that you go in and it shakes when Rangitoto explodes is really cool.
Mahi, 9, and Arlo, 7, Auckland
Mahi: My favourite thing to do in Auckland is to go to Rocket Ropes — it’s really challenging, and I love climbing through the different levels.
I like to go swimming with my friends. There are lots of cool pools in
Auckland — my favourite one is the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre, it’s got a waterslide, and a wave pool that’s lots of fun.
I love going to the Tip Top icecream factory. You can do a tour to see how they make different types of icecream, and you get to try it after.
Arlo: My favourite thing to do in Auckland is going to Whoa! Studios. It has a really cool climbing net and the best playground. My favourite place to get icecream is KiwiYo in Mission Bay — lots of different flavours, and you get to put lollies on top too.
Zaleeka, 3, Rotorua
I love to go to Skyline because the gondola ride is exciting and I get an icecream.
I also love to go to the cafe for fluffies with pink marshmallows. My favourites cafe is the French cafe (Le Cafe de Paris, Rotorua) because they make pretty fluffies.
My other favourite thing to do living in Rotorua is to go on the jet ski with Dad because we go to the Rotoiti Hot Pools. It is fun going fast on the jet ski on the lake and the pools are exciting when my friends are there to play with too.
Felix, 5, Napier
My favourite holiday is fishing at Po¯rangahau, Hawke’s Bay. The beach is big and long and we drive down in the truck. We use the Kontiki or my fishing rod, and the fish we catch are really yum.
Ethan, 10, Taupo¯
Taupo¯ has been home for me and my family since
2013. This is where I learnt how to fish, swim and ride my bike.
I love to go on a Lake Taupo¯ cruise to see Nga¯toroirangi and the Ma¯ori rock carvings and do some trout fishing on a Chris Jolly charter. I get so excited when a trout bites and I get to reel it in. Another favourite is Western Bay for fishing and a picnic on the beach. I also love kayaking, but my favourite is the sea biscuit. I love going fast on the water.
Oscar, 11, Nelson Tasman
The Smoking Barrel is my favourite place for lunch. Sometimes we get a yummy fresh fruit icecream at Berry Lands. And when it’s really hot, I love cooling off in the river in the Aniseed Valley, and Coco, our dog, can come too. We usually bring a picnic with some yummy treats. There’s an awesome rope swing and it’s quite safe. We also like looking for gold in the shallows.
Logan, 14, Nelson Tasman
We moved to Nelson two years ago and it’s really suited me because I’m into lots of outdoor activities like fishing, hunting and mountain biking, just like my dad. My dad’s a helicopter pilot and so are my two uncles. I’ve been lucky enough to do helibiking and heli-fishing and I’d recommend those to anyone visiting Nelson — it’s an awesome experience, really gets your adrenaline going and you’ll never forget it.
Marley, 8, Raetihi
I love living in Raetihi cos I get to go to the pools, Snooks (my favourite swimming hole), hunting and growing our own kai.
Jasmin, 9, and Clara, 7, Queenstown
Jasmin: My favourite spot to play in Queenstown is at these amazing river rocks that are better than any playground in town. If you follow the Morning Star walkway down to the Morning Star Beach (upstream from the Shotover Jet base), you will find a bunch of large rocks that line the edge of the river. You can clamber over them all the way to opposite a miners’ tunnel where the white water rushes through. I like them because they are fun to climb and sometimes if the river is not too high you can go on stepping stones further into the river.
Clara: My favourite activity in Queenstown is Time Tripper. I like it because you can go under the water without getting wet and cold. The seats vibrate when you go back in time and you learn about dinosaurs and Queenstown’s history. I like how it is set up so that when the screens come up you can see rainbow trout and eels and teal ducks diving. It’s pretty magic being under the lake.
Asta, 6, Dunedin
I like going to Otago Museum because there are fun things to do. I liked the space room (Perpetual Guardian Planetarium) because it felt like I got to stay up late.
The zoo up the stairs (Animal Attic) has lots of cool animals. I thought the lion was real, but luckily it didn’t move. I like the butterflies in the forest too (Tu¯hura Tropical Forest) because you can touch them. The butterflies wouldn’t leave me alone, I think they loved my dress.
I got a mini telescope in the shop so I can look at the stars because I like stars, but I’m not allowed to look at the sun.
Cam and Fin, 12, Wa¯naka
Cam: I think Wa¯naka is an amazing place to grow up or visit, no matter the season, there is always something to do. My favourite sport is snowboarding but I am also super-keen on mountain biking, river surfing, fishing and skateboarding.
My favourite summer sport is river surfing at Hawea Whitewater Park. I also love the rope swings on the Clutha and Hawea Rivers.
When it gets a little colder it’s fun to go fishing with the boys. When it’s raining the Wa¯naka Rec Centre is always open and it’s super fun to go swimming or play basketball.
Winter is definitely my favourite season, shredding the park at Cardies (Cardrona) or building jumps in the backcountry at Treble Cone. Nothing is impossible, there are no boundaries.
Fin: My number one is to go to Cardrona. It’s epic because in the winter you have the best ski resort in New Zealand, if not the Southern Hemisphere, and in the summer you have one of the best bike parks in New Zealand with lift access.
Next is Wa¯naka Skate Park, which has recently been upgraded to have a new street section that makes it one of the best skate parks in New Zealand.
Third is the Hawea River Wave, a man-made white-water river park perfect for kayaking and river surfing. River surfing is lots of fun, just like surfing a big swell in the sea.
Cooper, 4, Cromwell
My favourite things to do are going to Highlands, riding my bike and playing at Lake Dunstan. At Highlands, they have race cars like Lightning McQueen and you get to see them go fast and win the race.
Sometimes we’ll ride by the lake and once we’ve finished riding we have a swim. I always have my life jacket on. When it’s hot we have dinner there and Dad takes me on the kayak. Other times we just throw stones. Sometimes Dad takes me fishing, but we never catch anything.
Bailey, 8, Twizel
Twizel River track because you can walk it and bike it. You can even go for a swim in it if it’s hot; there is lots of shade. Pack all sorts of clothes because the weather can change quickly.
In summer go to the Twizel Swimming Pool. The big pool is nice and cool and it sometimes has a big floating play area in it. The small pool is really warm but sometimes it gets crowded.