Spring activity ideas for the school holidays 

The school holidays have arrived, and we have our fingers crossed the weather will continue to get brighter and warmer! To help battle the boredom at home, we have made a list of our top activities:

• Visit an inner-city park – our parks in the city centres are often overlooked but offer a great escape from the hustle and bustle. Being centrally located, this is a great way to tie in a catch-up with Mum, Dad or friends who are working in the city. Why not pack a picnic and look out for the Spring blossom on the trees? Many also have great playgrounds which you probably don’t visit very often, so this will be something new for kids. Myers Park in Auckland CBD has a great playground with sculptures, perfect to burn off some of your little one’s energy, with parking close by on Grey’s Ave. In Christchurch, the Botanical gardens have an awesome playground and lots of space to run for miles. We have several carparks on Armagh Street which is the best entrance for accessing the playground.
• Get out and about cycling – the Spring school holidays are a great time to explore with bikes and don't just think local, [if you have a bike rack] it's a great opportunity to load the bikes and explore a new area. We recommend cycling along Oriental Bay in Wellington or the Pink Cycle Path starting on Upper Queen Street in Auckland CBD.
• Sandcastle competition – visit the beach, set a timer, and see who can make the best sandcastle. Extra points for decorations – which you could collect beforehand by treasure hunting for the shells, seaweed, and rocks! We love to visit Takapuna Beach in Auckland and have several car parks
• Visit a new Swimming centre – you may already have a local favourite but why not visit somewhere different. The Tepid Baths in Auckland CBD are a favourite of ours and we have parking next door at the Viaduct car park. You could then walk along to the play park at Silo Park or walk through the viaduct and look at the boats.
• Catch a ferry – Aucklanders, why not catch a ferry somewhere and explore? We have a range of car parks close to the ferry terminals so you can take a short trip to Devonport, or go hiking for the day at Rangitoto Island – be sure to pack lots of snacks!
• Escape rooms - a great rainy-day activity for older kids. There are several Escape Rooms in the Auckland and Wellington CBDs which offer hours of entertainment, racing to escape and solve the clues as fast as possible! Find a car park close to you here.
• Visit your local museum or art gallery – if you haven’t seen Peter the T.rex yet at Auckland Museum now is a fantastic time to visit. Take advantage of the warmer days by playing cricket or football in the Domain afterwards or fly kites in the wind! In Wellington, Te Papa has several school holiday events including a singalong with Kiwi favourite star, Suzie Cato.

Get 20% off while you’re at it! Our friends at ParkMate have a fabulous school holiday promotion for 20% of casual parking* on weekdays (10am-4pm) during the break, making it easier to enjoy the cities in New Zealand. Just enter the below codes into your ParkMate app.

• Auckland – SCHOOL1
• Wellington – SCHOOL2
• Christchurch – SCHOOL3                               

(*T&C’s and exclusions apply. See www.parkmate.co.nz/school-holidays/)