For Your Best Family Holiday Ever, Try These 10 Fun Things To Do In New Zealand
Here are Insider tips and secret addresses from travel show host Clarke Gayford, who's also the fiance of New Zealand's Prime Minister!
By Tara Barker -
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Get ready for next-level secret travel tips to New Zealand. Clarke Gayford is a respected travel show presenter who’s travelled, “From the very top of New Zealand all the way to the very bottom, trying out the best things to do in every town along the way”. He’s also a seafood fan and foodie who’s hosted a hit travel series about fishing and cooking seafood.
Clarke Garford knows his way around New Zealand
And for the last three years, Clarke’s also been the stay-at-home dad to Neve, the daughter he shares with his fiance, Jacinda Adern - otherwise known as the Prime Minister of New Zealand. So he’s uniquely able to share lots of great things to do on your next family holiday to New Zealand. So when we met Clarke on a recent visit to Singapore, we asked him to share secret family holiday spots that are not so well known - places he’s visited with his own family and friends.
BTW: You can access up-to-date travel rules info here with a handy widget thingy from Straits Times.
Let's get into Clarke’s personal recommendations for fun things to do on a family holiday to New Zealand. To help you plan your trip, we’ve divided the attractions into the North Island and South Island of the country:
Sandboarding is sliding down a big sand dune on a sandboard or toboggan. There are great sandboarding destinations all over New Zealand, but the far north of the North Island is especially epic. People enjoy sledding down the Giant Dunes of Te Paki at Cape Reinga - it’s like looking at the firm set of the movie DUNE, with 10 kilometers of massive sand dunes sweeping away into the distance.
At Te Paki, you can rent sand boards and sand sleds (toboggans) on the spot. There is no time restriction for the rental and no entrance fee. Price is around $15 NZD. As Clarke says, “New Zealand is such a long country that the far North is warm and Winterless all year. Yet down in the South we have glaciers. You can have family adventures everywhere.”
INSIDER TIP: Some dunes at Te Paiki can be 150 metres tall - as tall as an HDB block. Staff at the sandboard rental point can provide smaller sleds for kids. They can also show you smaller hills where little ones can ride safely.
Find more information on sandboarding in New Zealand here, with locations, maps and advice.
New Zealand has so many unique birds. We all know about the cute kiwi bird, but have you heard about the kākā? It’s the curious parrot with a ‘chonky’ body that's a hit with kids. The trouble is, many of these cute birds are nocturnal and live deep in the forests, so you’re not likely to run into them - unless you visit Zealandia. This is the world's first 'urban eco sanctuary' just ten minutes from the heart of Wellington city, with over 40 rare species of native wildlife - including over 150 kiwi birds roaming free.
Says Clarke, “Right inside Wellington city there’s a great nature and wildlife reserve called Zealandia. They do conservation research. They put a big predator-proof fence around the whole palace, so the native birds inside are protected from rats and cats and other predators. They’re thriving. You go inside the reserve and there are birds and lizards and so many things to look at. I also take Neve to Te Papa and there's always something new there for kids to do - it's very interactive”
TIP: Nearby is Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. Rated by Lonely Planet as one of their top 500 places to visit on Earth, this interactive national museum features six stories of cutting-edge exhibitions that let kids get hands-on. More details here
Zealandia has day tours, twilight tours and night tours, so you can see different kinds of animals and birds, The guided kid’s night walks are fun for children aged over five. If you prefer “own self do” your family can just buy a map and wander around on your own.
The small town of Waitomo is almost in the middle of the North Island. It’s surrounded by a massive underground cave systems, each with their own special beauty. Thousands of sparkling glow-worms light up the Glow worm Caves while the vast Ruakuri Cave features waterfalls and limestone formations hanging from the ceiling.
Clarke loves visiting here. “If you’ve got small children, you can take a safe and comfortable guided boat ride through the caves. If the kids are older and you want to share an adventure you can do Black Water Rafting - you'll crawl, swim and float through the caves on a big rubber tube. Or you can abseil or zip-line through the darkness. If you want to give your kids an adventure, I highly recommend it.”
TIP: Waitomo is about an hour’s drive from Rotorua, so you can potentially see the caves and experience the geothermal and cultural wonders of Rotorua in one day without exhausting everyone in your family. You can drive yourself or book a guided tour.
See all the different tours and attractions here for Waitomo Caves.
We usually think of Japan as the land of hot water onsen spas, but New Zealand has them too. Especially around Rotorua, a town in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island. Rotorua is surrounded by natural mineral-rich hot springs that are good for your health. Unlike most spa towns in the world, Rotorua has both acidic and alkaline natural mineral springs. The slightly acidic Priest Spring waters relieve tired muscles, aches and pains while the alkaline waters of the Rachel Spring nourish your skin.
Says Clarke, “If you want to do something nice and relaxing with the kids, you can visit beautiful, all natural hot springs. The water is naturally rich in minerals. The Polynesian Spas are one of my favorite places to visit because the pools are outside, surrounded by nature.”
TIP: Rotorua is Instagram heaven. You can take snapshots of spectacular geothermal geysers, and see traditional Māori architecture and crafts at The National Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. It’s a great place to buy great souvenirs.
The Polynesian Spas has acidic and alkaline natural mineral springs. You can also book unusual spa therapies that draw on South Pacific herbs and healing traditions. Book here
If you want to see whales and dolphins all year around, head to the pretty coastal town of Kaikoura. known for two things: seafood and whale watching. The waters here are home to 80 per cent of the world’s whales and dolphin species. Some live here year- round - like Dusky Dolphins and Hector’s Dolphins, species unique to New Zealand. Other species just swing by on migration, with traffic peaking from May to October every year. That’s when you can spot Humpback Whales, Southern Right Whales and the biggest of them all - the gigantic Blue Whale.
Says Clarke, “ I highly recommend going to Kaikoura. It has some of the best whale and dolphin watching in the world, and it’s all-year around. You can go on kayak tours and see dolphins up close. And the countryside is spectacular, with mountain ranges topped with snow. It feels like a real adventure in paradise.”
TIP: Kaikoura is famous for crayfish and shellfish - the town’s name even means “to eat crayfish” in the Maori language. There are many restaurants and beach cafes around the harbour, so you have lots of choice. If you want to fish for your own crayfish, you can charter a boat (with crew) from companies such as Kaikōura Fishing Tours or Top Catch Charters . You can cook your crayfish on the boat - or they’ll drop you back on land and tell you which restaurants will cook your catch for you.
Self-drive visitors can explore the North Canterbury region by following the Alpine Pacific touring route, which links Kaikōura with Hanmer Springs and the Waipara wine region, just 45 mins driving time north of Christchurch. More details here
Says Clarke, “Every ski field I’ve been to in New Zealand has learner slopes and good activities to get kids into into snow. Even if you have no experience, you can hire little toboggans to slide down snowy slopes. Kids really have fun”
There are ski fields in both the North and the South Island, but there are more ski fields in the South Island. The New Zealand ski season typically kicks off in the South Island from mid to late June and finishes in October with the peak in July and August. You can find the exact opening dates for all the ski fields here.
If you’re a beginner, Cardrona Alpine Resort is set up as a “fun and friendly’ family resort, with New Zealand’s first ever gondola ride and kid’s centre. Some 50 per cent of the skin runs are set aside for beginners. There’s also a shuttle bus from the nearby towns of Queenstown or Wanaka. You can rent all your adult or child ski equipment, including clothes, boots, skis, helmets and toboggans. Prices start at $40 NZD per day for kids and $50 NZD per day for adults.
TIP: Even if there’s n snow, you can whizz own slopes with the gravity-fuelled Skyline Luge at Queenstown. It has over 900 metres of banked corners, tunnels and dippers. Once you’ve conquered the course, hop on the chairlift and do it all again! Entry is from $45 NZD for kids and $45 NZD for adults.
See here to book ski passes, rent equipment, and check out facilities at Cardrona Alpine Resort.
If you hire a campervan, you save on hotel fees. Plus holiday parks and campgrounds in New Zealand are great for families - and they can be pretty swanky. Most camp sites provide powered and non-powered sites. At powered sites you just drive up and you can plug your campervan into an electrical power socket. Camp sites usually have play areas, heated swimming pools, trampolines and barbecues, toilets and shower blocks. Often you'll also have the use of a dining area and a comfortable TV lounge.
Says Clarke, “Campervan holidays are a real family adventure. You get to see places at your own speed. You just drive along and see a sign that says waterfall or caves or something… and you can go off and discover it. For one radio show, I drove a campervan from the very top of New Zealand all the way down to Stewart Island at the bottom. I was able to try every town's activity. I did skydiving here and caving there… so I know that driving yourself is a great way to find adventures.”
TIP: You can use your Singapore driving licence to hire a campervan in New Zealand. Or get an international driving licence. Singapore and New Zealand drive on the same side of the road, and the roads are pretty quiet once you get outside the cities. It's not mandatory to book campsites ahead, but it's a good idea. You can find locations of campsites via free apps or here
Campervan hire starts at around $30 NZD a day. Powered site fees at holiday parts average around $20 NZD a night. You can find out where to find government and privately-run campsites, rules and prices here .