There are various things to do in Cornwall Park during cooler months, although the attractions are quite small so may not fill more than an hour. There’s an aviary, a Chinese garden and playground with a small but interesting selection of equipment (wobbly bridge, monkey bars and obstacle courses. Swings including…
There are 4 branches of this cafe around Hawke’s Bay all serving Bay Espresso’s own locally roasted coffee but this recommendation is for the original cafe as it’s the only one the reviewer has been to. They do a great breakfast with a good selection of choices on the menu,…
There is a great family friendly atmosphere at the Sunday Farmers’ Market at the Show Grounds in Hastings. This is a weekly event held no matter what the weather is like. It’s inside during the winter and outside in the summer. The stalls are filled with food and drinks that are locally…
Formerly known as Onekawa pools, there is a year round indoor pool that has the only indoor hydroslides in Hawke’s Bay, but this recommendation is for the summer outdoor splash pad. There is no standing water here so it’s great for all ages with lots of fountains and spraying water…
Lots of families LOVE this aquarium. It’s small but much cheaper than Kelly Tarltons in Auckland, however, you can go round it again and again and for littlies it’s perhaps a little less daunting than Kelly Tarltons. It’s probably not a whole day trip but you could spend a couple…
There have been hot salt water pools on this site since 1903 – thought to benefit lots of different illnesses! Today this is a complex made up of several different pools of varying temperatures. For families there’s a cold ‘active’ pool which starts off very shallow and gradually gets deeper. Despite…
This is a huge completely fenced playground with something for all ages with a separate but equally good, fenced, mini road system bike track on the other side of a small carpark but linked via the walkway on the sea side. Both are right on the sea front, within walking…
On the way to /from the ferry terminal on Donald Bruce Road, on the Western side of the island, Te Huruhi Primary school allows supervised kids to use their playground equipment and school pool during the school summer holidays. The playground areas are great with lots of climbing, balancing and swinging opportunities…
A winery that caters well for families by providing a trampoline, big grassy area and outdoor toys for the kids to enjoy while the adults can sample some wine in peace! The food is great (tasty and interesting) and wood fired pizzas or kids’ fish and chips were a huge…
If your kids love fishing, and you have access to a car, it’s worth a half day trip over to the wharf in Orapiu Bay as there always seem to be plenty of small fish biting. Take your supplies (including fishing gear, food and water) with you as there’s nothing around apart…
