Family Friendly Outing: Hokowhitu Lagoon

FAMILY FRIENDLY OUTING HOKOWHITU LAGOON

Centennial Drive, Palmerston North - Open 24/7 So hear me out on this one... The lagoon is a great place for learning about life. Ducks, swans, water polo, dogs, families, bikes, ball games, joggers, and even the odd goldfish or eel in the water. I’m a big advocate for early learning about animals, so this is a great place to practice. My recommendation? Head over to the Chalet carpark with a picnic lunch, there are so many places for you to plonk on a spot. Older kids can zoom around on their bikes, play ball games, and watch the Water Polo games. With lots of dogs on walks around the lagoon, some might want to come and say hello. Why not take the opportunity to talk with your kids about dog etiquette, asking the owner if it’s ok to pet the dog before engaging with it? Then we move onto my soft spot, the ducks. I’ve heard some people say they reckon the lagoon ducks are “more rude” than the Esplanade ducks. I must disagree...the ducks (and geese) at the lagoon are far more likely to come up to you and want food. Another great area to teach your kids about animal etiquette, as they interact with wild animals. This starts at home, where you can plan some duck feed to take with you. But before we start, here is my public service announcement - DO NOT FEED DUCKS BREAD!! Bread does exactly zero good for a duck, but you’d be surprised what you have around home that they do like. Put together a medley of any of the following: • Lettuce (especially the outside bits that you normally pull off) • Corn • Defrosted peas • Leftover rice • Uncooked rice • Oats • Seeds The ducks will absolutely love you for it, and it helps your kids interact with them too, as they can scatter the food around, rather than holding onto a bit of bread for a duck to nip off them. Our 1 year old has already started to get excited to feed the ducks at the lagoon, and works on putting her hand in the bag, then dropping her handful out for the ducks, as pictured. So, the lagoon. Don’t underestimate its ability to provide a great time out on the cheap for the whole family.