Christmas with a New Zealand farmers family
Our amazing trip to New Zealand with kids still continues..Finally I have wifi again and so much to write about! Let’s start with our visit to Kaikoura, where we went on a whale watching tour. The weather was beautiful, the sea was calm. When we are out on open sea we see whales straight away. Very very impressive, they are so huge. Whales stays on the surface for several minutes before they take a dive under water. The last thing you sea before they disappear in the deep is the tail, and that’s exactly the part I want to take a picture of. Mission completed! See the photo below, only a little blurry ;). When the whale disappears under water, they can stay there up to 45 minutes. We even see his huge head, Hidde keeps on talking about his black eyes. After the whales we also see dolphins and albatrosses. Loved the whale watching tour! After this exciting experience we go back to our campground to swim and have a wine with our neighbours.
We leave for Okains Bay, near to Christchurch, on first Christmas day. We stay on a farm and celebrate Christmas with the farmer’s family on Kawatea farmstay The farm as well as the accommodation is beautiful. In the afternoon we enjoy a drink on the beach. The kids entertain themselves by looking for shells. We absolutely love visiting New Zealand with kids around Christmas. We are used to low temperatures and even snow at this time of year. Enjoying the sun at Christmas feels like the biggest Christmas present ever.
We are invited for Christmas dinner at the farmer’s family. All four their kids join Christmas dinner as well. The kids have a table outside and the adults share a table inside. The dinner is wonderful with pumpkin, carrots from the oven, salmon, turkey, fish cakes, salads and all kinds of meats.The dessert is amazing as well with pavlova, fresh raspberries, cheesecake, banana cake and ice cream.On Boxing Day we visit Akarua, a lovely little town with a French vibe. Akarua is located on a beautiful bay. We find a coffee shop with a playground right next to the water, a beautiful spot to spend our afternoon.
Tuesday we take off to Queenstown. As its quite a long drive, we spend the night in Fairly. Fairly has a huge ski area in the winter. After a good night sleep, we continue our drive to Queenstown, making some stops along the way. Our first stop is Tekapo Lake with beautiful blue water and snowy mountains. Our second stop is at New Zealand’s most famous bungee jump spot on a very high bridge. The view from the bridge is amazing: the river and the mountains. There was a bungee jump possibility for kids as well, jumping on the trampoline. They loved it! We reach Queenstown at the end of the day. It looks like a vibrant city. Hidde left his shoes on the campground in Fairly. Our first stop in Queenstown city center will be at a shoe store. After our little shopping spree we end the day with a delicious pizza. We wouldn’t recommend the campground. It feels more like a parking lot. Upside is we are very close to the city center. Tomorrow we have a whole day to explore Queenstown, the day after we will visit Milford Sounds. The weather is absolutely amazing! We are facing 2 less sunny days, after these days we expect only sunny weather again. We are enjoying our trip to the max! New Zealand with kids is a big fat YES for us.
Tips & tricks for New Zealand with kids
Don’t miss out: up close and personal with the whales in Kaikoura
Kawatea farmstay is a great experience for the kids, spend the night on a real farm
We loved the road from Fairly to Queenstown, take your time and plan a break at Tekapo Lake
New Zealand with kids: THE tail
This guest blog is written by Lonneke, she is living in the Netherlands with her husband Marcel and two sons Thije and Hidde . Lonneke tells us about the amazing trip she made with her family to New Zealand when the boys were 2,5 and 4 years old.
