75. New Zealand Family Snow Trip. Travel to Queenstown New Zealand with three generations, the best holiday you can have with kids in New Zealand.
So many fun things happening in this episode all about travelling with three generations.
Do you have kids or grandkids – thought about travelling on an adventure holiday with them? What about travelling internationally with eight kids 9 years and under to New Zealand for a ski holiday when none of the kids had ever tried it before or even seen snow?
Well that’s exactly what this episode is about. And I’ve roped in a highly experienced guest host to help me share how this might just be the PERFECT holiday destination for your family adventure.
But we don’t just talk skiing, we cover lots of other things great for every generation to do in this spectacular part of New Zealand that don’t cost a fortune including going to a snow farm – have you ever heard of such a thing – and no they’re not growing things in snow.
We cover our favourite family adventure activities, the best walks around the lake for kids and old nanas and the best place to stay, and how to minimize the cost of kids ski gear.
You will hear about one of the most magical experiences we all had together that one of the 4 year grandkids described in his amazement as being in a snow globe, and that was a pretty accurate description.
We all loved this holiday so much – that we are already planning when we can do it again. For me it was especially amazing – being with all the people I love the most in the world, having the best time together. I will keep these memories in my heart forever. Now I’m getting teary.
Stay listening to the end when we tell you what some of the highlights were for the kids – and of course our favourite place for mulled wine – and there were so many to choose from.
So please enjoy – episode 75
SHOW NOTES AND PICTURES BELOW
The luckiest Nana in the world on a New Zealand family holiday - three generations and my 8 grandkids!
This is our family travel group of eight adults and eight children. We all travelled from Brisbane, Australia for this incredible snow holiday together. None of the kids had skied before, and a couple of the grown ups were complete beginners or intermediate beginners. The big boys of course were all amazing and skied and snowboarded all over the mountain. If you are considering a snow holiday with your family - then this is the podcast and blog for you.
We all skied at Coronet Peak as it was the closest ski field to Queenstown. There is plenty of parking and a shuttle bus for those who don’t have cars. You can book all your ski hire gear, lift passes and lessons online and it is a good idea to do this at least a couple of months before you go if you have a large group and want to do activities together.
We organised ski lessons for the kids above 5 - none of them had skied before. My daughter who has a blog all about Easy Family Adventures has written a comprehensive article all about kids ski lessons and Skiwiland which is a day care for 5 and under with learn to ski options as well. You can check out that article here for everything you need to know. Kids ski lessons and Skiwiland information here.
Coronet Peak has lessons daily for every level. My daughter and I did the beginner package with three days lessons and by middle of the second day we were skiing easily and ready for the green slopes. By the end of the third day, skiing down the slopes with the rest of the family was an amazing experience that I’m sure will be talked about at every family get together from now on.
Skiwiland was a lot of fun for the 3 to 5 year olds. They have snow play, indoor crafts and then skiing and tobogganing outdoors in an enclosed safe area. The kids in this program had all their food and drinks included and they were all so proud of how many hot chocolates they could have each day.
Queenstown is not only famous for its ski fields, it is also well known for its food and drink. We all took the opportunity to enjoy some indulgences that we don’t usually have at home like mulled wine, many hot chocolates, milkshakes and cookies. Eating out is a fun thing at the best of times, but when it’s freezing outside, you have all your family around you, you are rugged up and sitting looking at the spectacular views - just makes the whole experience amazing.
One of the family activities that isn’t on the top of everyone’s to do list - but should be is The Snow Farm. It is about an hour’s drive through spectacular mountain roads. It is an area for cross country skiing and snowshoeing, but it also has an area where the younger kids can just play. They can make snowmen, snow angels, throw snowballs or enjoy the tyre tubes. It was one of the favourite places for the kids and once again Easy Family Adventures has written and extensive article all about it with the links and costs etc.
Click here to find out all about the Snow Farm - the perfect place for kids to play in the snow.
Another highlight for the kids (and adults) was the Luge. You access the luge ride by taking the gondola up to the cafe area at the top of the hill. You then take a chair lift to the beginning of the luge where you have a lesson and then head down the hill. There were a lot of squeals of delight and laughter and I think the big kids would have done it all day. As the family were heading up the chair lift it starting snowing, and it continued until we headed down in the gondola. Pretty impressive way for the kids to see snow falling for the first time. One of the grandkids said it was like being in a real life snow globe - fabulous description.
Of course, it’s not all about paying for adventure activities. You could spend a couple of weeks in Queenstown and still not do everything. Other than for skiing, one of the main reasons we chose Queenstown as a holiday destination was because there is so much to do within 10-20 minutes walking around the main area of the city. Another favourite was the lake where you can watch all types of boats, from jet boats to historic steamers. There are also street performers every day. The kids really enjoyed feeding the many ducks and the playground on the shore of the lake.
The Queenstown Botanic Gardens is a free area to explore. Make sure to take your time as the kids will discover huge pine trees to play hide and seek, rock caves to climb in. There are numerous paths through the middle of the gardens or a well maintained path that goes around the edge of the lake - with incredible views.
If you would like to know more about having a holiday in Queenstown with your family then click the button below for a detailed article from Easy Family Adventures that covers all the things to do - and what not to do, plus heaps of hints of how to make the trip even more fun for everyone.
If you would like to see the other New Zealand episodes and blogs we have done with all the links, maps and pictures, then click the button below.