There are lots of bays that are great for swimming in along the Pacific Highway (SH35) east of Opotiki but this particular bay, most commonly known as Schoolhouse Bay has shallow, usually calm water that is great for kids wanting to paddle. The beach area sweeps round giving plenty of…
Fully gated and right near SH2, this playground makes a good stopping point on a journey between Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. By the river with a path that is suitable for bikes, scooters and buggies, this playground can also be easily reached as part of a riverside walk/ride. There’s a…
Feeding stingray isn’t something that you get to experience everyday! This isn’t an aquarium and the stingray that you’ll see are free to come and go anywhere they want, so while the guides at Dive Tatapouri have built up a relationship with several stingray, there’s no guarantee of what or…
This playground was new in 2018 and has lots of equipment that should appeal to a variety of ages. The playground is also next to a skatepark and a half basketball court and also within the huge park with lots of flat grass (for picnics, kite flying and ball games),…
The walkway along the sea side of Napier’s Marine Parade is great for buggies, bikes, skate boards, scooters and rollerblades because it’s wide and mostly smooth concrete. Along the way there are plenty of things to stop and look at or play on making this an area you could easily…
This once secret playground is incredibly unique. Nestled among the trees in the private forest to the south of Waitarere, this is the most natural of playgrounds with most pieces of equipment being made out of rope and wood. The playground is also a lesson in up-cycling with an old…
Pukeiti Gardens is roughly 30 minutes drive from New Plymouth but feels like it’s a whole world away! It went through a major redevelopment in 2017 which has totally transformed this place into a great family attraction with things to do no matter what the weather is like. Access is…
Being up close to a wind turbine isn’t an everyday experience for most people. The size of these machines is awe inspiring and it’s bound to prompt some interesting conversations! West Winds is home to 62 wind turbines that make use of Wellington’s famous wind to potentially power all the…
This is a beautiful area of bush in the Tararua Forest Park but it isn’t quite as close to Carterton as Google Maps makes it out to be! So the first thing to note is that from the SH2 turn off (approximately halfway between Greytown and Carterton) it’s about 17km…
There are actually 2 lighthouses at Pencarrow heads, one old and up high, the other one is new and still operating. Both have helped guide boats around the rocky outcrops at the entrance to Wellington harbour since 1859. It’s an almost 7km trip out to the new lighthouse, about a…
