Homebuilders – Holiday fun for all budgets

As parents or caregivers of children it can be a challenge to come up with activities that suit your family’s needs and budgets over the summer holidays. Understanding this, we have compiled a list of local and regional activities for families that suit differing family interests and affordability.

We live in a beautiful place in Aotearoa with access to beaches, wharves, rivers, lakes and parks that all offer options to spend time over summer enjoying these natural resources. However, if you are looking for other experiences, please check out the following:

There is live music on this Sunday, January 23, from 1pm to 4pm at Snells Beach Reserve, Sunburst Ave, Snell’s Beach. The lineup includes SOJØURN, Tempist Fujit and Hipstamatics. Also check out Auckland Council’s website for Music in the Parks across Auckland this summer and free events and discounts at https://www.aucklandnz.com/visit/explore. There are also 100,000 vouchers being given away to families via ballot on this site to visit attractions across Auckland, register now!

Locally, we have Matakana Country Park offering pony rides, beginner lessons and wagon rides. A free animal experience is available onsite and a playground. There is also the miniature train rides operating in the weekends and a market on Sundays from 8.30am to 1pm starting from January 9.

The Range in Warkworth has a golf driving range, mini golf course, cricket with a BOLA machine, baseball/softball, with an auto pitching machine, and an air rifle range. For further information www.therangewarkworth.co.nz

Highland Garden Park in Algies Bay is free to access and provides a leisurely 60-minute stroll around the park and a chance to meet the donkeys.

Matakana River Tours has kayak hire and river cruises available. Puhoi Kayak Hire are operating on the Puhoi River and at Wenderholm Beach for kayak and paddleboard hire. Clearyaks are at Goat Island Marine Reserve as is the Glass bottom Boat and close by is the Goat Island Marine Discovery Centre open to the public for visits. Also operating in Leigh is Goat Island Dive and Snorkel offering snorkeling and dive packages. The Ti Point Reptile Park is also open daily.

Warkworth Golf Club have junior coaching and development programmes, as does Omaha Golf Club.

Sandspit Yacht Club have junior sailing lessons and club days from mid-January and Kawau Cruises are leaving daily for trips to Kawau Island.

Waterworld Waterpark Epic Summer Tour is at various beaches around Auckland over summer, book your spot at www.wipeout.co.nz/book-online

The VR Voom Technology Park on Khyber Pass Rd, Newmarket, has a large selection of virtual reality rooms available during the school holidays and offers school programmes. Visit www.vrvoom.co.nz

Silverdale Adventure Park offers a wide variety of adrenaline pumping activities and Tree Adventures in Woodhill have school holiday programmes all January.

In Whangarei there is “Heads-Up Adventures’’ with monster scooter rides, mountain biking trails and a forest paintball venue. Close by is Adrenalin Adventure Park with an inflatable obstacle course and many other water activities available. Adventure Forest in Whangarei has treetop adventures and flying foxes.

Please remember many of these activities require prior booking and remember check out their vaccination pass policy. Have fun out there!