A bucket and spade culture with added surf dude kudos. Fantastic food and wine. Barbecues. A laidback and genuinely kid-friendly way of life. No wonder New Zealand regularly tops polls of ‘where I’d most like to visit/live’.
A bucket and spade culture with added surf dude kudos. Fantastic food and wine. Barbecues. A laidback and genuinely kid-friendly way of life. No wonder New Zealand regularly tops polls of ‘where I’d most like to visit/live’. Follow Amanda Morison’s tips and you will have the holiday of a lifetime.

GETTING THERE

It is a LONG way – at least 23 hours in the air, not including a stopover. If you can, take a break somewhere en route. Two stints on the plane mean two opportunities for the children to sleep for a long stretch; it gives them a chance to acclimatise to a time zone in stages. Try Hong Kong (including Hong Kong Disneyland), Los Angeles (Disneyland, Universal Studios and the beaches) or Singapore where it is fanatically clean but hot, so you probably won’t do much more than laze by the hotel pool by day. Then head out to the night markets and, amazing, night safari at the zoo. discoverhongkong.com/uk  visitsingapore.com  zoo.com.sg.

WHEN TO GO

Summer is December, January and February. But don’t expect it to be as warm as Australia – good summers are better than UK ones, but just like us they have years when it does nothing but rain. 30 degrees is about the maximum.

Waiheke Island

Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, is home to the country’s largest international airport, and sits about a third of the way down the North Island. Here, it’s as much about messing about on the water as enjoying the urban but laid-back environment. Known as the city of sails, one in ten people owns a boat, and everyone lives within half an hour of a beach. You’ll never get a better bucket-and-spade holiday than on Waiheke, a 35-minute ferry ride away. It’s got a similar vibe to Cornwall, but with better wine – 26 renowned boutique wineries are located here, many of them with child-friendly restaurants where children can run around the rows of vines (our favourite is Passage Rock, which serves ‘the best pizza on the planet’ according to The New York Times). Base yourself in a ‘bach’ (holiday cottage) in or near the main settlements of Oneroa or Onetangi. Booking a bach takes a bit of patience. Trawl through one of the holiday websites, and when you see something suitable, email your dates. Expect to pay from £80 a day for a two-bed bach to up to £500 for somewhere flash with infinity pool and staff. passagerockwines.co.nz  waihekeholidayhomes.co.nz  bookabach.co.nz  waihekenz.com

Christchurch

The most ‘British’ of New Zealand cities (its Victorian architecture is vaguely reminiscent of Cambridge, complete with punts on the Avon River). It’s a fun place to spend a couple of days before flying home, and there’s plenty for families. The International Antarctic Centre is minutes from the airport. Meet penguins, put on extreme weather gear to sit out a snow storm in an ice room, and chug around on a Haggland all-terrain vehicle. Willowbank Nature Reserve helps protect indigenous wildlife, including the plummeting population of kiwis, and has a forest walk, and café dishing up excellent food. Merivale Manor is a selection of motel rooms and apartments (family studio from around £55 a night, room only). Really well kitted out with washing machines and smart kitchenettes, they’re an ideal base to help keep the pennies down. Clearwater Resort is the area’s smartest country club style resort. It sits in 450 acres, including a golf course, tennis courts and hiking trails. Two-bed apartments from around £220 per night.

International Antarctic Centre  iceberg.co.nz  willowbank.co.nz merivalemanor.co.nz  clearwater.co.nz visitchristchurch.info.

Bay of Islands

Believe the hype, but expect plenty of others to share this beautiful area with you. The Bay of Islands, 180 miles or so north of Auckland, is one of New Zealand’s most visited regions thanks to its turquoise seas dotted with islands. It’s where Europeans first settled, and you’ll find many historic churches and other signs of the past. Paihia is the main tourist town, and if you’re planning a cruise or sailing excursion around the islands, you’ll leave from here. Russel is a quiet and pretty alternative and easy to reach via a scenic passenger ferry across the bay. Try the clapperboard Russell Cottages for comfort and privacy in the heart of town. Two-bed cottages cost from around £130 per night. c russellcottages.co.nz c northlandnz.com. Coromandel Peninsula This eastern region is only a two hour drive from Auckland. Families love its eastern edge for the numerous white sand beaches, while adventurous types can head to the hills and tramp the mountainous region in the middle. Surfers will love Waihi and its 9-km long beach lapped by safe waves. At Hot Water Beach near the town of Whitianga you can dig your own hot water spa pool at low tide – an underground river flows underneath the beach. Ferry Landing Lodge, a stone’s throw from Whitianga, hires boogie boards, kayaks and bikes. You’ll need a car to get around, try a base somewhere easygoing like Coromandel Town. The Driving Creek Railway is one of the region’s most popular attractions, the country’s only narrow gauge mountain railway, taking visitors through forest planted with native kauri trees.  ferrylandinglodge.co.nz  drivingcreekrailway.co.nz  thecoromandel.com.

TOUR OPERATORS

Air New Zealand Good for stopover deals, particularly to Hong Kong. cairnewzealand.co.uk

All Ways Pacific Tailor made and escorted tours.  all-ways.co.uk.

Audley Travel Upmarket tour operator specialising in tailor-made journeys focusing on regions, hiking, wine routes etc.  audleytravel.com.

Austravel The main package players in the region, and also good on motor home hire. Austravel.com

Bridge and Wickers If you’re after luxury and a tailormade approach, look no further. bridgeandwickers.co.uk/nz.

Kuoni Their luxury arm provides New Zealand holidays – good if you’re planning a multi-country holiday. kuoni.co.uk. 

Qantasholidays.co.uk/newzealand. Easy to use online Build Your Own Package feature.