My top picks and tips for a family holiday in Queenstown with your family with kids in tow, with cheap and fun activities – including a $50 Airbnb credit voucher – and what we got up to that I’d personally recommend.
Glenorchy Animal Experiences
A sheep almost CLIMBING THE FENCE trying to get our animal feed. We’re at the excellent Glenorchy Animal Experience Farm -I paid $30 for a family pass on book me website last week – and I’d thoroughly recommend the animal experience for families or anyone interested in a farm or animals. It’s set outdoors with a stunning backdrop, and includes a free-range area over a stream where you wander around without cages. You get a bag of feed at the entrance and a talk through and a practice run feeding tame sheep before entering the farm with alpacas, Pablo the donkey, a pig pen, sheep, horses, and goats. The animals all looked happy and well looked after.
Glenorchy Boatshed
This is really just a beauty spot and picnic area, rather than an attraction, but definitely worth a visit. The historic red boatshed has interesting information boards inside it, and there’s tables and a BBQ and ample parking and nice cafes but the scenery and the charming old jetty to walk down are the photogenic highlights.
Coronet Peak
Sledding is free at Coronet Peak and you don’t require any sort of lift pass to just park at the public car park and walk to the snow by the first aid hut to the left of the massive restaurant complex. Here, there was clear signage for the sledding area with a gentle slope to slide down. We borrowed a couple of sleds, found a partially broken one to use for the grownups, and I see you can hire the sleds in Queenstown too (I think around $10.)
SKYLINE Queenstown
I took the children up the gondola, thanks to SKYLINE Queenstown, and apparently it was “MUCH more fun than going to school and I am now the best mum ever”! We loved the views and it didn’t even rain despite what the weather report forecast for today. An awesome experience.
Airbnb Voucher Credit
We saved money on accommodation by booking an Airbnb. In case it’s helpful for any readers who are going travelling, I have a $50 discount voucher credit for Airbnb, here http://www.airbnb.co.nz/c/meganr14770 That will give you $50 credit towards your first stay.
Fergburger Queenstown
New Zealand’s best burger bar, Fergburger, is always busy with a queue out the door and down the street. The popular eatery has kids burgers for $6.90 and a gelato store next door on the main road in Queenstown.
Bob’s Cove Playground and Flying Fox
About 15 minutes drive below Queenstown on the way to Glenorchy is Bob’s Cove which has a new settlement of contemporary houses and a state of the art playground and Flying Fox to use. Easily the best flying fox for kids I have seen. Free of charge. Around the bend is a 5 minute bush track down to Bob’s Cove lakeside walk.
Highlands Motorsport Park, Dinosaur sculpture park and Mini Golf
Highlands Motorsport Park was a real highlight of my whole trip. It was only $5 entry each on bookme website, and it must be done at least a day before you go there, or $25 each at the door. The Motorsport Park is a world-class car museum with rare and unique cars and racing cars and interesting things such as the Bumblebee Transformers figure, and Hokonui fashion awards costumes, pictured above. It included the dinosaur sculpture park and Mini Golf for free. Has a lovely cafe too or take a picnic.
Routeburn Track
You can do the start of the Routeburn Track world heritage park scenic bush walk with children, and the carpark has a really nice shelter and toilet block. We just wore our regular shoes and went for an hour’s stroll and crossed a beautiful bridge and walked through lush forest. Definitely worthwhile for nature-lovers. Pictured: our picnic stop en route to Routeburn Track carpark. Free of charge.
Words and photos Megan Robinson
Not sponsored, all opinions my own, Skyline Gondola gifted for photography and review.
10th August 2018