Holiday with Kids - Find Budget Family Ideas & Fun Activities for Kids
The Tongariro Crossing is rated as the country's best one-day hike (19.4km), traversing a dramatic geothermal landscape of craters, emerald lakes and lava flows. Rotorua's Waimangu Valley, created from the 1866 Mt Tarawera volcanic eruption, has the largest thermal lake in the world. Head up to the lush kauri rain forests of Northland and visit the gigantic Wairere fluted boulders, near Hokianga Harbour, which are around 2.8 million years old. The Otago Peninsula is famous for both its beauty and its colonies of sea lions, fur seals and albatrosses. At Oamaru, it's a thrill watching little blue penguins riding onto the stony beach after dusk. Drive through scenic Waitaki Valley's bizarre geological landscape, including the the famous Moeraki boulders. End the day soaking in a hot tub at Omarama with spectacular mountain views. Bird Watching - Holiday with Kids Take a ferry from Auckland to the island of Tiritiri Matangi, renowned for its abundance of rare native birds since kiore rats were eradicated in 1993. Drive to the Miranda Shorebird Centre in the Firth of Thames, where the shell banks and tidal flats provide a wintering ground for thousands of local and trans-equatorial birds, such as wrybill, godwit and pied oyster catcher. Visit Zealandia: Karori Wildlife Sanctuary near Wellington, where a predator-proof fence surrounds 225ha of regenerating forest and wetlands. This has allowed the release of several endangered species back to the mainland for the first time in more than 100 years: little spotted kiwi, kaka, North Island robin, saddleback, hihi, taka he, tuatara, Maud Island frogs and giant weta. A new visitor complex and interactive exhibition opened last year. Volunteer Holidays - Holiday with Kids For a truly rewarding experience, combine your holiday with volunteer work. It's a great way to learn new skills, meet people from other cultures or backgrounds, be an ethical tourist and make a positive difference. Organisations like the Department of Conservation and Volunteering Waikato always need people to assist with projects. You could help replant the Horsham Downs peat lakes, monitor native \ bat populations, provide support to elderly people with dementia or volunteer at a community theatre. For a memorable overseas adventure, organise your volunteer placement through an experienced agency, such as STA Travel. Care for abused elephants at a rescue centre in Thailand, run creative arts projects for street children in the slums of Delhi, work on an organic farm in Ecuador, or work with pumas, jaguars and monkeys in Bolivia. Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers who don't mind using a hammer to help build houses for impoverished families. DIY experience is not essential.
A food and wine holiday tickle your taste buds? Book a small, guided group tour of wine tasting experiences and cheesemakers or hit the road to discover some of our best vineyards, orchards and artisan food producers. Follow the Classic New Zealand wine trail, a 380km touring route past 120 vineyards. 
Start in the northern regions of Matakana, Kumeu and Waiheke Island, then head south to the superb wineries of Hawke's Bay. Our most outstanding wine region is Marlborough, world famous for its sauvignon blanc. Central Otago is better known for its pinot noir, sipped against a mountain backdrop. Good old Kiwi "fush n chips" can be found almost anywhere, but award-winning outlets include Oppies Takeaway in Rotorua and Victory Square Fish and Chips, Nelson. Fancy fresh seasonal produce? Look for weekend farmers' markets and pick-your-own orchards and berry farms is a great "fun things to do" for holiday with kids. Taste award-winning cheeses and subtropical fruit in Northland, eat fresh snapper and terakihi in the Coromandel, and visit Zealong tea estate near Hamilton. In Rotorua, enjoy an authentic Maori hangi and mussels boiled in a hot pool. Dine on spring lamb in central Otago, whitebait patties on the West Coast, scallops in Tasman Bay and freshly steamed green-lipped mussels in the Marlborough Sounds. Feeling Adventurous? The Kawhia Traditional Maori Kai Festival is a genuine taste experience of Traditional Maori Kai from the sea and the land...Thousands of visitors flock to Kawhia every year for the annual food festival on Waitangi weekend in early february. The next Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is on March 10, where you can try anything from pesta icecream to bug larvae. Farmstays New Zealand Experience - Holiday with Kids If you're a bit of a townie, a Kiwi farm stay will let you experience a slice of authentic rural life on a working farm. Learn how to shear a sheep, milk a cow, go sheep dog mustering, ride a tractor, move stock, harvest fruit and nuts, go horse riding, quad biking or trout fishing, and enjoy a slap up home breakfast. Options include B&Bs, organic farms, horse studs, ostrich, alpaca and deer farms, flower farms, orchards and luxury retreats. Try the Appaloosa Horse Stud at Mount View Farmstay in the Waikato, or the Hobbiton Movie Set Farmstay in Matamata. If you'd prefer to work in exchange for free board, around 350 farms participate in a scheme called Farm Helpers in New Zealand or get hands-on experience through Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF), but you should be reasonably fit. Holiday in the Waikato Region - Holiday with Kids Take advantage of all the fantastic activities happening in the Waikato. The Waikato River Trails pass through 100km of farmland, native bush and wetlands in South Waikato and are suitable for all levels of fitness. Walkers and cyclists travel over swing bridges and boardwalks, past hydrolake dams and interesting rock formations. See website for details. Maungatautari Ecological Reserve, a predator-free sanctuary near Cambridge, is ideal for day trips. It has a 16m high viewing tower over the forest canopy where you can watch the native birds that are now flourishing. In the spa town of Te Aroha, explore old gold mining tracks, climb the mountain for spectacular 360-degree views, visit the Te Aroha & Districts Museum, then soak in a natural hot pool. Hamilton Gardens are a treat with ever-changing flora and seasonal colours. Te Parapara, a traditional Maori garden, is the latest addition to the extensive collection of paradise, fantasy and landscape gardens. Waitomo Caves will take you deep into a subterranean limestone world to marvel at glow worms, stalactites and underground rivers. Daredevils can go on a cave tour and get wet while doing a series of abseils and rock climbs. For local history buffs, the Rangiriri Battle Site Heritage Centre has the remains of fortifications where Maori warriors fought British troops in 1863, and Te Awamutu Museum offers fascinating insights into the New Zealand Wars. "Holiday with Kids" don't have to be expensive and some of the ideas above will help you plan a very enjoyable on your next holiday.
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