A few years ago (2015 feels like it wasn’t that long ago!) we took our family to Queenstown for a relaxing family holiday for a week before Christmas. Given NZ is southern hemisphere, it’s the beginning of summer at this time and the sun doesn’t go down until 11pm.
The activities we chose were all suitable for younger kids, with ours being 4, 7 & 9 at the time.
We stayed in one of the many centrally located holiday homes available (found via Wotif) and hired a car to get around on our trip which we picked up from the nearby airport.
When quarantine is over and you want to have a relaxing family holiday, consider travelling to Queenstown!
Here’s what we got up to:
- Explored Queenstown – Now, I know this sounds obvious, however Queenstown is a very lively and beautiful town to explore. There are many amazing restaurants, cafes, unique gift shops and souvenir shops that have lovely mementos that reach beyond the kitsch.
- Puzzling World Wanaka [ https://www.puzzlingworld.co.nz/ ] This is a truly fantastic family activity! Puzzling World is around 1hr from Queenstown, but a really beautiful drive through scenic mountains. Our kids loved the maze here as well as the other interactive displays. The café here was good, and had a whole lot of other puzzle activities for kids to do out in the café area.
- Gondola Ride [ https://www.skyline.co.nz/en/queenstown/things-to-do/skyline-gondola-queenstown/ ] The gondola ride up the side of the mountain behind Queenstown was beautiful. The gondolas are enclosed, so they feel quite safe as you ascend. At the top is a scenic lookout, café, gift shop and there was go-karting as well (which we didn’t do).
- Mini Golf [ https://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/things-to-do/family-fun/mini-golf/ ] This mini golf course is centrally located and a great activity to do on a ‘rest day’ with kids. The mountain views are stunning and the course wasn’t too difficult for the kids.
- Warbirds and Wheels museum [ http://www.warbirdsandwheels.com/ ] This museum is located in Wanaka as well. The museum had a large collection of vintage cars, planes, and artifacts, some of which the kids could actually play in. We did this museum in around 2hrs, which was perfect for a half day trip along with lunch in Wanaka by the lake.
- Milford Sound cruise [ https://www.cruisemilfordnz.com/ ] Milford sound was a bucket list item for me, but the whole family had a blast. It was freezing cold on the lake, so make sure you rug up for winter weather even in high summer. Beyond the stunning photography opportunities, there was also beautiful rainforest surrounds, and Bowen falls – one of the many waterfalls on the fjord. The kids favourite was seeing the seals sunbathe on nearby rocks! The drive to Milford Sound from Queenstown is around 4hrs each way, so it is a full day trip but particularly worth it.
[ Photos taken with Canon DSLR 350 ]
