Set in the Rose Garden, which is one part of the Botanic Garden, this cafe has been serving up breakfast and lunch in beautiful surroundings for years! This is a great place for families to eat, whether it be for a snack or full meal. They are very child friendly,…
This is made up of 3 different attractions; a museum, a (new) Traders and Whalers Museum and a separate Bush railway ride (limited operating times, see under ‘Open’). It is worth deciding which part your kids will enjoy most and just paying for one attraction at a time, as there’s…
This is made up of year round indoor pools and outdoor pools which open in the summer months. The indoor complex includes a main pool with lane swimming and wave pool, a tarzan rope and inflatable toys. This pool is 28 degrees. There’s a separate toddler pool with a bubbles…
This is the only fast food place currently on Kids on Board and it’s here because it’s a McDonalds with a difference! It’s the only McDonald’s restaurant in the world to be situated inside a decommissioned DC3 plane complete with an indoor playground! Makes for an interesting rainy day activity!…
Kelly Tarlton’s is the biggest aquarium in New Zealand. It is well stocked with sea life of all kinds including a large penguin enclosure, sting ray, rock pool area that kids can put their hands into and a moving walkway through a glass tunnel with hundreds of fish in it…
This rink has been around for years and the staff are on hand to offer novices tips on how to gain balance and have a good time. At selected times of day, a section of the ice rink is available for either public ice hockey or ice bumper cars –…
This 26 metre by 56 metre ice rink has been on or near this site for over 20 years and has a good reputation. The minimum age for kids skating is 3 years old and the smallest skate size is roughly size 5. If you’re new to skating as a…
Playing mini golf can be fun for all the family and played indoors, this is a year-round activity. This particular indoor mini putt venue takes pride in the fact that each hole tells a story. Local and international sights such as Auckland’s Sky Tower make up the mini courses, so…
While the museum offers quite a lot that will keep kids happily entertained, this recommendation from a local Mum is specifically for ‘Discovery’ on the 3rd floor. The theme for this area is natural history and it includes a fossil dig. Models of animals such as a giraffe and meerkat are…
This place comes highly recommended as a real gem if you’re needing a break on the road to or from Hawkes Bay! Run entirely by volunteers (known as The Cave Dwellers), the opening hours are unfortunately very restricted, so it pays to check out their Facebook page before you promise…
