With the kids out of school for a minimum of 22 days in April (that’s more than your annual leave for the whole year…), you’re going to need a few tricks up your sleeve and a whole lotta patience to get through the month. Kiwi-born deal site GrabOne has got you sorted with its list of 22 great deals on activities, events, and items to keep the family and the wallet happy up and down the country these holidays…
Out & about
1. Escape the cabin-fever with Escapade’s Outdoor Escape Game and get $33 off when you book through GrabOne. Step out of the box – or locked room in this case – and travel the CBD to bring out your inner Sherlock Holmes, uncover clues and reveal the city’s secrets. It’s been given a number one ranking on Trip Advisor so you’re sure to get the thumbs up from your little detectives
2. Spend a day working the body and the mind with an all-day pass to Northern Rocks Indoor Rock Climbing. Enjoy a world-class specialised bouldering facility with safe and easy short walls, without scary ropes or belaying
3. Encourage the kids to let it all out with a half-price Karaoke Room Package at Nitefun98 (BYO earplugs), which includes food and beverages for an easy lunch for the masses
4. Instead of bouncing off the walls, get a spring in their step with a spot of trampolining. With up to 50% off family and annual passes at Gravity NZ Trampoline Park when you book through GrabOne, there is something for every young one, and the young at heart. Access over 30 connected trampolines, basketball hoops, foam pits, a dodgeball court, wall tramps and more
Hit the road
5. Pack the bags and the kids and get out of town with a trip to Coromandel’s Bullswool Heritage Farm, a working farm with a hands-on experience. Sheep, kauri, and gold museums, early New Zealand historical sites, a Hills and Thrills bike track, native bird reserve, and cute fluffy animals make for a memorable day, especially with 39% off the price of a family of five pass, thanks to GrabOne
6. Just when you thought you couldn’t take the kids to the golf course, hit the road to Hamilton for a round of foot golf (think golf crossed with football). It’s fun fitness for the whole family, especially with a 42% discount when you book through GrabOne
7. Or take the family up North for an experience on the seriously cool Two-Hour Silent Electric Boat Exploration along the Kerikeri River – the first in New Zealand. See the old Stone Store and the famous waterside café and pub, museum, and the historic Kororipo Pa with scenic walks to stunning waterfalls and swimming holes in the river
8. Hang ten at the Mount with a 60-minute lesson at the Mount Maunganui Surf Academy. Board and wetsuit are included, all the kids need to bring is a towel, a smile, and a bundle of energy (no doubt they’ll have heaps)
9. Start your engine and cruise to Hampton Downs Motorsport Park with your 10+ year olds for 41% off a session of Go-Karting. Challenge your little racer on the 530m Go-Kart track or go tandem. Stop for a giant ice cream in Pokeno if you can stomach it!
Holidays at home
10. If you’ve scheduled a day to work from home, send the little tykes outdoors to stretch their legs on a Voksafe Kids Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course. The monkey bars, swings, ladders and ropes will be enough to tire them out and let you work in peace
11. Be the ultimate cool caregiver and set up the kids with a 30-inch kids electric Guitar – with amp! Type “guitar lessons for kids” into YouTube and rock on
12. And when your ears and your wits have come to their respective ends, there is the silent 15-in-1 Wooden Chess Board Game Set, complete with checkers, mancala, snakes and ladders, backgammon, tic-tac-toe, Parcheesi and more. Schedule this in while you take your Zoom calls
And more to get you through to Day 22
13. Extend Easter fun with these spinning egg decoration stands
14. Grab this Treehouse Collection of books from beloved children’s author Andy Griffiths
15. Get into the baseball groove with a Sticky Ball Set
16. Make some educational mess indoors with a Science Lab It’s Alive! Slime Lab kit
17. Get the kids learning outside with an Outdoor Portable Microscope
18. Head to Pistackio Gelato & Co for a sweet treat
19. Play games of sticky tag with a Self-Stick Vest & Balls set
20. Head to New Zealand’s Number One Escape Room. Vouchers are a steal at 38% off through GrabOne
21. Plan a living room slumber party with these 1.2m play tents
22. Roll over to PINS for $8 matches of Ten-Pin Bowling
For the parents whose children have an extra day off for a teacher’s only day – we feel you. GrabOne has hundreds of deals on the site at any one time to scroll through when you’re lacking inspiration, and when it all gets too hard, a One-Hour Remedial, Relaxation or Deep-Tissue Massage from only $49 while the kids are with a friend should do the trick!