Twizel

Kids love nothing better than being able to interact with animals, so why not stay somewhere where you get to feed farm animals right at your gate.  The Highlands Farm Stay is just a few minutes outside the Twizel township and is the perfect holiday home for families.

The merino cottage has two bedrooms and can sleep 4 people (or 5 with a baby in a cot) and is the warmest home in the winter. (especially important when it commonly drops to less than zero in the winter)

The house has a fully kitted kitchen including gas hobs and oven, toys and games for the kids, free netflix and wifi.  The best part is they include food to feed the sheep, alpacas (so cute!) and pigs.  They also have a farm walk (with map) so you can explore and even find the Highland Bulls.  The kids will have a ball with their own farm pets while you relax and enjoy the incredible views of the mountains.

High Country Salmon is a great place to visit with kids, even if you don’t like salmon.  You can feed the salmon here for free and learn a little about the salmon farm operation on site.  The waters here are incredibly blue, so grab a coffee and sit out and enjoy the view.

There’s a cafe with both salmon and not salmony treats and you can buy fresh produce on site as well.

Lake Ruataniwha is a stunning location, but is actually a manmade lake.  The whole town of Twizel is pumping in the summer months because of the high quality rowing facility that is established here.  In fact every second year, the New Zealand Secondary School Regatta hosts 10,000 people here.  It is quite a spectacle if you are ever in town while a regatta is being held, so make sure you drop past the lake.

Outside of rowing, the lake is perfect for all sorts of watersports including swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, waterskiing and jet boating. 

If you want to get out on the water, you can hire a vessel from Water Rides Twizel who are based out of Lake Ruataniwha Holiday Park.  They have a great selection of boats from kayaks, paddle boards, pedal boats and pedal bikes, a swan and a glass bottomed boat.  A great activity for the whole family.

There’s nothing like letting the kids burn off a bit of energy and a playground is always a winner.  There is an old school playground outside the Musterers Hut, which is a great place to grab a coffee and be able to watch the kids as they play.  They have outside tables which are perfect for this.

Or head to the Market Square in Twizel, near the 4 Square supermarket for a more modern playground.  Our kids preferred this one.  In the summer months, if you are sitting outside at one of the local restaurants, you can watch the kids play from here.  It has always been relaxing and chilled when we have visited and very safe for the kids to play.

If you just stay in the Twizel township, then you will miss out on all the hidden gems of the region.  Make sure you take a drive to explore the canals and lakes in the area.  The canals shimmer in an incredible glacial blue colour so make sure you take a drive to explore.

Some great places to drive include the Pukaki Canal, Lake Ohau and Lake Poaka.  Perfect for an impromptu picnic, well off the beaten track.

Mini Golf seems to bring out competitiveness in all of us, so if you are after a bit of family fun (or rivalry) head down to the Musterers Hut Cafe.  This old school golf course has no bells and whistles, but will still have you raging as you bump into the corner, again.

Hire a ball and clubs from the Musterers Hut Cafe for $20 for a family.  Also make sure you pop in for a delicious scone, or their vintage gift shop collection.