Kid Around in the Capital these School Holidays

5 July 2013

Kid Around in the Capital these School Holidays

If you haven’t made any school holiday plans yet, it’s time to pack your bags for Wellington – where days of discovery and attractions aplenty await the family this July.

Capital attractions
Mad for toasted marshmallows this winter? Visit Staglands from 15 - 28 July and you’ll receive free marshmallows to toast on the wildlife reserve’s camp fire. Grab the kids and a spot down by the barn, and enjoy nature in all her glory.

The best little zoo in the world has a range of school holiday programmes to boot. Kids can interact with Wellington Zoo staff, while getting to meet the animals themselves. Go behind the scenes at the Zoo – all the while contributing to conservation.

From exploring the solar system to experimenting with special effects make-up, and even taking part in a wearable art workshop, Capital E’s A Capital Idea is packed with creative and unique workshops for youngins aged six to 14 years old.

The New Zealand Police Museum is set for a fortnight of fun. Grab a clipboard and follow trails of 'evidence' in the museum’s operation series, solve a junior detective mystery or even take part in a crime officer workshop. From dressing up in police uniform to having your picture taken on a M.O.T motorbike; there’s plenty of fun to be had for both the young and young at heart.

And what family visit to the capital would be complete without a trip to New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa. See The Colossal Squid or discover Awesome Forces and learn about how plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and erosion have shaped one of the most dynamic landscapes in the world.

Capital entertainment
Following sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Sydney’s Opera House, Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary and Friends will spring off the page and onto the stage these school holidays. This hugely popular show is packed with music, singing, colourful costumes and your favourite Hairy Maclary stories.

Capital crafts
From 22 - 26 July, Artsight are running a range of art classes for children aged between five to 12 years old. Kids will create kaleidoscope prints and clay titles, master drawing techniques and learn the history of Kiwi artists and more.

Craft House is offering a variety of classes for children aged seven plus. From constructing cards to scrapbooking, and designing table decorations to shaping sock monsters – kids will leave inspired… while parents might find they’re soon to be short of socks.

Capital action
Wellington has around 50 public playgrounds, so the city’s well equipped to help kids get outdoors and burn off some built up energy these holidays. Here’s three that are positively worth a visit:

One of the most popular playgrounds in the city, Frank Kitts is known for its huge lighthouse slide. There's also swings, a climbing structure and spring ride-ons for younger ones.

The Botanic Gardens’ playground has plenty going on. From climbers to a four-armed 'octopus' ride-on - there’s even a flying fox.

Island Bay’s Shorland Park has more of an old-school feel, with large open spaces to run around, swings, a pirate ship, concrete tunnels, and a band rotunda, the options for playing make-believe are endless.

Capital eats
The Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant is something of a Wellington institution, located on a site that's been home to a pub for over 100 years. The outside garden bar area is one of the most pleasant places in the city to enjoy a sunny afternoon. They work hard to look after families, with a kids’ menu that looks to have been written by someone who's actually met a few.

On weekends between 10am-2pm they go all out, laying on craft tables, colouring competitions and face painting. And on Thursday mornings from 10am they have a room dedicated to parents and kids - with couches, carpet for crawlers, a specialist staff member whose only job is to child-mind and...a massage therapist offering FREE 10 minute back, neck and shoulder massages. You’re welcome!

Capital accommodation
Stay at Rydges Wellington during the school holidays and for $169 you’ll receive one night's accommodation in a superior room, breakfast for two adults and use of the hotel’s kids games room. Children under 12 years stay and eat for free using existing bedding.

Amora Hotel’s $199 Family Fun Pack offers one night’s accommodation for two adults and two children in a Deluxe Twin Room, breakfast for the whole family the following morning at hotel restaurant, The Grill, as well as a family pass to Wellington Zoo.

:: Visit WellingtonNZ.com to book your accommodation and attractions or for more school holiday ideas.

Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT)
PWT is the regional tourism organisation for Wellington. It is a council-controlled organisation primarily funded by Wellington City Council through the Downtown Levy, a targeted rate paid by commercial ratepayers in downtown Wellington.

Wellington Tourism statistics
• Visitors spend over $2600 in the Wellington region per minute - $1.4 billion every year. (Source: Ministry of Economic Development Regional Tourism Data).
• Over four million visits are made to Wellington every year: 750,000 international and over 3.4 million domestic. (Source: Ministry of Economic Development Regional Tourism Data).

ENDS

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