Better than any School Lesson

Teach your kids under the guise of an excursion – it’ll be far too fun to feel educational!

How did Aotearoa come to be?

Head to our contemporary capital for a peek into New Zealand’s past. The Blood Earth Fire exhibit at Te Papa museum reveals what Aotearoa was like over 1000 years ago. Learn more about the now extinct moa and visit the famed Colossal Squid: the largest invertebrates on our planet. Don’t forget to print The Colossal Squid activity book before your visit for squid facts and activities. If your kid is big on dinosaurs, tuatara lived over 220 million years ago and thrived during the dinosaur age. There are currently 11 to admire at Queenstown’s Kiwi Birdlife Park.

Tuatara © David Kirkland

Where are we from?

Who was Kupe and where did he come from? Auckland Museum is going to tell you everything, alongside 1000 Māori treasures (taonga) and a life-size marae with daily cultural performances. Children love the energy of the haka.

What did a traditional Māori village look like?

No need to imagine such a thing when you can visit one. History comes alive at Tamaki Māori Village in Rotorua. Enter a world of proud warriors and ancient traditions in this pre-European Māori village cradled in native forest. Experiences are nightly (staying up late – that’s a win for any kid) and include ceremonial rituals, storytelling and traditional kai. Watch authentic tattooing, weaving, carving and warrior training before congregating at the ancestral meeting house for cultural performances and a hangi dinner.

Te Marae, Te Papa Museum © Vaughan Brookfield

When did the Europeans arrive?

Established in 1819, the Kerikeri Mission Station is one of the first places in New Zealand where Māori invited European visitors to live among them. Housing two of the country’s oldest buildings, little visitors can experience what kids did 200 years ago on the Children’s Chores Tour. Howick Historical Homestead imitates life in the 1800s and frequently hosts ‘Meet the Villagers’ days. Visitors are encouraged to play old-fashioned games, attend lessons in the schoolhouse, show up for a court session and help make butter and lemonade.

European settlers also voyaged from as far as Scotland, often settling in Otago. The Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin is dedicated to telling the story of the people, from the earliest Polynesian settlers to the Scots of the 19th century. Children can dress up in ancestral attire and pretend it’s 1848.

Why is our agriculture so important?

From the milk added to our Weetbix to Canterbury lamb, Aotearoa relies on agriculture. At Bullswool Farm Heritage Park in Paeroa, early mechanised milking sheds and a wealth of historic farm tools complement a children’s play paddock, complete with kids’ scale digger, truck and petrol pump. Discover new and creative ways to feed the livestock (like from a xylophone feeder) and learn why farming is such an important industry for Kiwis.

What have we achieved?

Surrounded by stunning Aoraki Mt Cook scenery, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre details Hillary’s various pursuits, as well as other notable New Zealand climbers. Explore the museum and watch various films about Hillary’s life, his achievements and the region’s vital mountain rescue team. For more inspiring Kiwi accomplishments, the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch highlights the invaluable work New Zealand does at the South Pole. Try a 4D-theatre experience, bunker down in an Antarctic storm, cuddle a husky, or take a ride in the Hägglund, an all terrain Antarctic vehicle.

Antarctic Centre © Antarctic Centre

What does our future look like?

The future lies in space, right? Understand New Zealand’s contribution to astronomy and space sciences at Space Place in Wellington or discover our explosive origins at an Auckland Stardome show. The Dark Sky Project in Tekapō reveals one of the most startling Dark Sky Reserves in the world. Enhance your knowledge of the Southern Skies from a purpose-built observatory, peer through enormous telescopes and ask the astrologers your every galaxy-related question.

University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory, Tekapō © Vaughan Brookfield