Planning well will get you a perfect family ski holiday
Kids love winter activities and they will love all the snow sports on offer in New Zealand. However, it takes a lot to organise and afterwards you may wonder exactly what the kids remember.
While you stressed about the right ski lessons, the kids were running a survey on the best hot chocolate in town. There is a lot to take in but the best holiday memories can come from the moments in between. Here's the Real Checklist for your perfect family ski trip, from a parent who has been there with kids and wants to do it again.
No pressure, but this could be the holiday to benchmark all other holidays. New Zealand is blessed with more than its fair share of ski locations. The big names have beginner courses, ski lessons, and creches for the under-5s. If you don't have a favourite, it is easy to be bogged down in details without knowing how to choose the best slopes for your family. The answer is how your kids will remember this holiday.
As moderate novices, our family prefers The Remarkables. After five years of testing the slopes, our kids are still raving about skiing and snowboarding there. Any time Queenstown is mentioned, they instantly picture the grand snowy mountains rising above the town with the distinctive lilac glow at sunset. Even the teenager lets out a little sigh and whispers, "I snowboarded up there."
As kids, we don't usually have great memory recall. Kids often need a prompt, like something they see or hear or smell. The Remarkables have the spark to generate those memories, even for the youngest members. That's the ultimate prize of every family trip.
Once you have your playground, it's time to claim your base camp. Location can mean everything for you, but for kids their top priority is how long until the food arrives.
Kids burn through a lot of energy on the slopes, before the slopes, after the slopes, dreaming about the slopes. Let's face it: Kids can eat. A lot. It is always a good idea to double-check your location for one of two things: Either it is close to shops, to pick up food as you need it, or it is accessible for deliveries.
When you return to base after an awesome day in the snow, you will appreciate every piece of food readily available. Bonus points if you can arrange to have groceries delivered on the day you arrive. The kids have instant snacks and you have everything you need for a cup of tea/coffee.
Unless you regularly carve up the slopes, you are going to need a few things beforehand. Queenstown i-SITE Visitors Information Centre is perfect for smoothing the entire process. Having someone organise your gear allows you more time to spend with the family.
The first thing to set up is your MyPass Card. This little card is your everything for the slopes. It works for The Remarkables, Coronet Peak, and Mt Hutt (other ski fields will have similar pass arrangements).
Your MyPass card gives quick access to ski lifts, rental gear, lessons, special activities, and the Queenstown Ski Bus. Although the bus isn't a necessity, it is definitely a better option. Why take on the trouble of snow chains, car parking, and the mental exhaustion of the winding roads? Leave that to the very capable bus driver while you chat with the kids.
The buses depart every 30-minutes in the morning from Duke Street Bus Station in Central Queenstown (outside the Snow Centre), with a few stops along the main road. At the end of the day, when everyone is happy-tired, buses will head back to town until the last bus at 4.30pm.
MyPass also removes a lot of the hassle with hiring ski equipment, ensuring all of your gear is dry, clean, and ready when you arrive on the mountain. All you have to do is purchase the package with i-SITE, go around the corner to Green Toad for your fitting, and the rest is taken care of for you.
You can rent skis, snowboards, poles, and helmets. They also have jackets, pants, and goggles if you need them. Green Toad saves the details on your MyPass and updates guest services at the ski fields for you. This was possibly my favourite part of our holiday preparation and worth the fidgety behaviour of our youngest child (easily settled with the promise of hot chocolate afterwards).
Speaking of hot chocolate: less than a five-minute walk from Green Toad are the best hot chocolate and chocolate chunk cookies in Queenstown.
Cookie Time is on Camp St, with both hot and cold drinks to go with your sweet treats. Hot chocolate may not be THE memory of the holiday (that will be the snow) but it does help set the mood and will likely be a talking point. For a cute souvenir, go for the Milk Bottle & S'more Combo. Our kids still use the milk bottles at home, prompting a flood of great memories.
Hot chocolates are also essential on the slopes. They are the quickest and easiest way to warm up (or cool down, depending on how hard you ski). Once on the mountain, you can easily add money to your MyPass card to use as an on-mountain debit card. As the kids need to carry their MyPass at all times, it also means they can get their own drinks in the cafeteria, often in the company of new friends from their ski lessons.
When you are ready to take a breather from the slopes, head into Queenstown to create some cool family moments.
Tucked away in the Queenstown Gardens we found the Queenstown Disc Golf Club, with 18 metal baskets around the course. BYO frisbee or hire from the nearby Queenstown Ice Arena for $5 each. This activity is heaps of fun for the whole family without breaking the budget.
From the gardens, it is a lazy walk to town along the waterfront, often featuring street entertainers to brighten any day. On the Queen's Birthday weekend (June 4-7), Queenstown's annual LUMA Southern Light Project returns with a burst of light and colour. It's a great place to ground yourself before heading back to the slopes.
The perfect family ski holiday isn't only made from the biggest or most expensive features. Often it's the little details kids remember, like throwing the frisbee or making a new friend on the slopes. It might be the first time they were responsible for their own ski card or it could be that special postcard of The Remarkables.
Most of all, they will remember being with you. Having fun is as much a part of the experience as the preparation. The snow can make every family holiday magical. All you need to do is add the extra details.
For more New Zealand travel ideas and inspiration, go to newzealand.com
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