6 Fun Things to do with your Family between Christchurch and Queenstown

New Zealand's South Island is so much more than Christchurch and Queenstown, but especially if you're thinking of travelling between these two towns, this list of suggestions may come in handy. All places can be reached from Christchurch within a day's drive - even with stops along the way! 1. Jetboating and visiting the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools We did both in the pouring rain, as we figured we’d get wet either way… and boy, was that true! I was apprehensive about the jetboating at first, especially with Pete, but all three of us had such a blast, I can highly recommend it! Heading to the lovely warm pools afterwards was just bliss. They have different sizes and temperatures, some of them are adults only (very nice when you’re there with at least one extra adult who can look after the child/ren – Matt’s mum joined us after jetboating - yay) and the children’s pool has a funnel slide (Conical Thrill and Super Bowl) apart from the regular slides – but Pete was too small and frankly a bit scared anyway – phew. 2. Akaroa The only French settlement in New Zealand, is only a 90-minute scenic (and slightly hair-pinny, depending on the size of your car) drive from central Christchurch and therefore makes for a fantastic day or weekend away. We got married here – but what attracted me first to the spot is the cute main street and of course the pretty lighthouse, not to mention the delicious boysenberry ice cream with real fruit. The seagulls, unfortunately, are as cheeky as everywhere and will divebomb onto your plate of chips, so beware! Main reason for me mentioning this place though is the Akaroa Harbour Cruise operated by Black Cat Cruises. We’ve been out with them for the first time the day after our wedding and enjoyed it so much, we had to take Pete this year. After we’ve had a fab time watching some Hector dolphins frolic around the boat, Pete fell asleep, and Matt and I were able to focus on spying on some fur seals and even a little penguin! 3. TranzAlpine Rail Journey to Greymouth across Arthur’s Pass If your little one is as train crazy as ours or even if you don’t have children – this is a journey worth leaving the car behind for! In the picture you see me long before Pete was a topic, but it’s a great depiction of why and how families can have lots of fun on the trip apart from watching the stunning scenery go past. Just don’t drink the coffee – it’s the worst I had in New Zealand, I’m afraid! And if you’re lucky at Arthur’s Pass, you might even spot a Kea or two in action – and feel extra grateful you left your car safe and sound back in the city! 4. Kaikoura A fantastic place a couple of hours north of Christchurch, where you can enjoy lovely window shopping (or the real thing) as well as super tasty seafood, crayfish in particular (Kai meaning food and koura meaning crayfish in Maori) but what I love even more is the huge shoreline with lots and lots of lovely stones and shells (don’t collect them – just enjoy them where they are!) and visiting the seal colony. Keep to the paths, stay as quiet as you can and see how many seals you can spot – they are great at hiding, sometimes in plain sight (as Matt had to learn the hard way when he nearly tripped over one that came too close to the path)! 5. Puzzling World and National Transport & Toy Museum in Wanaka This was probably Petey’s favourite activity, in particular the maze. Back in the days pre-Petey, Matt and I didn’t think very highly of the attraction – we much favoured just hanging out in “downtown” Wanaka, lazing by the lake, watching the ducks… but as you know – everything changes when you have a child. So, this time, we had to enter – and almost didn’t make it out! The illusions room was good fun – lots of optical illusions, some more mindboggling than others, but I think we all really liked the maze. It was tough – and truth be told, we only made it out (although we probably will never really know) because somebody needed a wee… ?? Similarly, the National Transport and Toy Museum is hard to miss, but not necessarily somewhere you'd stop unless you have a child - and I'm glad we did! The collections of Lego and Playmobil sets, Barbie dolls, Sylvanian Family scenes - wow. So much care has gone and is still going into this place... but just wait until you leave the main building and head out on the open space and check out the trucks, fire engines, tanks in front of the hangars that hold the airplanes, helicopters and oldtimers - amazing! Pete's highlight was the airplane outside the hangar we could climb into - he made a beeline for the cockpit, pretending to take us on a spin! 6. Pleasant Point Steam Railway near Geraldine In the past, Pleasant Point was purely for Matt to get his beloved custard squares... well, they are no longer sold there, but now we've learned of the steam train that runs on weekends during summer! The journey from the "main station" (ticket office) to the other end is only about 10-15 minutes, but it's a really lovely experience and we all had fun at the other end checking out what happens when you press the different buttons in the miniature railway exhibit. If all this train business got you hungry, head to Geraldine for some cheese from the cheesemonger in the village square (or go for their tasty ice cream) or if your properly hungry, head across the street to Barker's, well known across both islands for their sauces and preserves, who have recently opened a shop and café including children's menus that can be coloured in. (All information is correct at time of writing this post, but we all know that things can change.) I hope this gives you some inspiration on what to do with your child or children when on the South Island, especially if you only have a few days there. If you're planning on staying mainly in Christchurch, please have a look at my corresponding post. And if you're going and you're starting your trip in Christchurch, check out this must on all our visit: the Cookie Time factory shop, the perfect pit stop on the way South or the West Coast! Yummy! I’ve been to New Zealand many times and lived there as well, so if you haven’t found here what you’ve been hoping to read about, just contact me and let’s have a chat. In the meantime, have fun - kia ngahau!