Collaborative post
New Zealand is unsurprisingly an ideal place for a family holiday. If you can get past the long journey to get there, it is a country that will no doubt be worth the visit. From the unique and vast landscape, the charming cities, beautiful beaches, and even ski slopes, there is no real shortage of ideas for a family getaway.
Besides those obvious choices, there are plenty of unique experiences throughout the country that will provide memorable experiences that will bring the family together, and engage everyone. If you feel attracted by this enchanting country, you may decide to buy a property here and move here to enjoy the local beauties.
Get Creative
The Wētā Workshop is a great idea for a family experience in New Zealand. This is something even your teenagers will get overly excited about. You can tour both locations, one in Auckland and the other in Wellington, and technically you could even do both, as they are both different. Both locations offers different workshops and tours.
The Wellington location focusing more on tours, and practical effects workshops. These tours seem especially ideal for older children and teens. There are unique workshops where you can learn to work with leather, or even special effects makeup. The Auckland location has interactive tours where you can set foot on special sets that focus on Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy. There are even immersive experiences where you and your family will star in your own movie!
The price points for these workshops might seem high at first glance, but the experiences are so unique and worthwhile that it truly is worth it. It is also convenient that the two locations are on opposites
Cultural Multisensory Adventure
For those wanting to have a unique experience with the whole family, while learning about the rich and powerful culture of the Māori, you can literally walk in the footsteps of Kupe, the first New Zealand explorer. The Manea: Footprints of Kupe is a multisensory experience that includes storytelling through taonga (cultural treasures), art, film, interactive digital experiences, and soaking in the local nature. The idea was developed by local elders of the Māori tribe to ensure that these traditions, stories, and ideas are not lost to time.
Children of all ages are welcome and actually encouraged so that they can become familiarized with the culture and experience first-hand the traditions and narratives of the Māori people. This is an ideal way to inject a bit of culture and unique experiences into your holiday.
This experience is found in northern New Zealand, in Opononi, a famous beachside area, which is also an ideal spot for the family to rest and experience the easy-going, relaxed vibe of the area.
A Cool Experience
Since you are already more than halfway there, why not experience Antarctica by way of New Zealand? The International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch is a great way to learn about the continent, its wildlife, ecosystems, and how Antarctica affects the entire world. The entire family will learn important lessons about the human impact on Antarctica while having quite a bit of fun.
There is no shortage of unique activities at the Antarctic Centre, and it is ideal for a family with a wide range of ages. There are plenty of activities that older kids will enjoy, lie riding actual Hägglunds, which are all-terrain vehicles and experiencing the Storm Dome, which is chilled to 18°C, with winds that help recreate what it’s like to be in an Antarctic storm. The youngsters will also have a blast getting up close and personal with the penguins, see some huskies and even see some snowfall.
One of the best experiences for the whole family is the chance to design your own base camp. Everyone gets together to create a base camp using everything they’ve learned at the Centre and some Duplo Blocks. A family can use teamwork to create the ideal space, and in turn, create an ideal moment that they will remember for a lifetime.
Think ahead
A journey to New Zealand is not for the faint of heart, it is a long journey, that requires some prep work and some fun ideas for the kids. Make sure to pack some games for the plane, and make sure that the games don’t have too many loose objects, small pieces can get lost under the seats, or fall into cracks and it can get quite messy. Downloading some of your children’s favourite tv shows/songs on a tablet is another thing to think about. The flights are long and there are only so many things available to watch on the plane that will keep their interest. It might be wise to invest in e-readers, as carrying too many books might get cumbersome, but your slightly older ones will be grateful for the extra good reads.
If you have a baby, it might be tempting to not get your baby a seat, since most babies do not need a ticket on planes until about 2 years old, but you will have to carry them the whole time, and many of these flights can be quite long. Also, regardless of age, everyone travelling needs to have a visa if they are travelling to New Zealand. Many travellers make sure their visas are approved before they book their flight.
The New Zealand visa is valid for 2 years, so in principle, it is possible to apply for your visa before you book the flight and reserve your trip. The New Zealand visa is usually approved rather quickly, in a few days, so then booking and reserving can begin and you and your family can start sharing ideas for what you want to do.
These are just a few great ideas for the family in New Zealand. The country itself has so much to offer, so it’s an even bigger treat that there are so many immersive and entertaining things to do as a family.