New Zealand Family Holidays

What are the best options for a New Zealand family holiday?

'A family holiday in New Zealand? Are you mad? What about the potential hell of 24 hour flights there and back? Do we look like masochists?' So spake some parent friends of ours when we suggested heading to New Zealand with children in tow. Granted, if your children make Horrible Henry and Pippi Longstocking look like perfectly mannered little angels then maybe this isn't the family holiday for you, but if, like the other 99.99% of children, they adore being outside and exploring new places, there are few better places to take them.

First, to the flights. With a bit of planning, plenty of things to keep them busy, and a possible couple of nights stopover en route in, say, Singapore, the flights to and from the Antipodes are more than manageable. And on arrival it will soon become clear why New Zealand is sometimes referred to as 'Scotland on steroids' - the sheer range of activities on offer for all ages is almost without parallel, from trekking to skiing, and swimming with dolphins to bungy-jumping which can be enjoyed by sprogs as young as ten. Toddlers and primary school children may not be allowed to partake in some, so please ask us for clarification during the holiday planning process, but seriously fun pastimes like jet boating on the River Dart are fine for children from five upwards. For older children, the fact that this is the location for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies might well appeal, from the moment they arrive into Orkland, sorry Auckland.

Last but not least, there's a brilliant way for families to see New Zealand - by camper van. This is a great way to keep accommodation costs down because you can park up and camp overnight virtually anywhere in New Zealand so you have the freedom of the entire country to explore. We don't recommend spending every night on four wheels, but nights spent out in the wilderness interchanged with stays in comfortable family-friendly lodges makes for an ideal combination.