This week in our Activity Spotlight we feature Tinytown at Kilbirnie Recreation Centre, it’s a tiny, town – so what’s not to love!?

What is it?  A fenced in play area at the back of Kilbirnie Recreation Centre that’s filled with under-5 toy goodness, from Little Tikes ride-on cars, to play houses, crash pads to a great big bouncy house at the back.  It costs $4.50 (kids only, adults are free) although if you’ve got a leisure card you can get a discount.  It is limited to the under-5’s and is open most days unless booked out.

Perfect for Get togethers with your friends and their kids.  It’s also a great stop if you’ve got kids that range different ages as the older kids can scoot or rollerblade in the rink next door, while you keep an eye on the little ones in Tinytown.  There’s also a nice relaxing seated area for parents at the back to enjoy, and little table and chairs for kids to sit down and enjoy snacks.

Citywrigglers tip? Bring your own coffee and snacks. There’s not much around food wise at Kilbirnie Recreation Centre so it’s much better if you bring your own.  Also you can book out Tinytown for birthday parties!  An affordable way to entertain a crowd of kiddies and you can bring your own party food which is a major bonus.

For more information, visit Tinytown.  Picture courtesy of Kilbirnie Recreation Centre.

The Milky Way hangs low over The Space Place late one night in Wellington, New Zealand.

Nestled atop Wellington’s Botanic Gardens is our very own special planetarium, having recently been aptly renamed The Space Place (formerly The Carter Observatory). Take the kids for a fun morning out with a space-themed film that screens on the planetarium ceiling followed by a play in the interactive exhibition space that is all about, er…space.

Best for:  Ok so it’s probably not for tiny tots, but I took my son when he was two and although he didn’t understand much, he sure had fun.   A school-aged kid would probably get the most enjoyment from a visit.

Citywrigglers tip: The Space Place also does birthday parties! Check out Museum Wellington’s party page for The Space Place, Museum Wellington and Nairn Street Cottage.

Held in an activity based learning centre on level two (near the parent room), this fun interactive storytime is for children aged 12 months to 5 years. Programmes change every 8 weeks and each Storyplace session runs for 45 mins.  Not only is there a great story session, the kids can play in the play area, which includes a slide, interactive toys, colouring with music!

Monday – Friday, year-round (excluding public holidays)

• 10.30am–11.15am (buy your tickets by 10.25am)
• 11.30am–12.15pm (buy your tickets by 11.25am)
• 1.30pm–2.15pm (buy your tickets by 1.25pm)

Storyplace tickets are around $2 and you can buy your tickets at the information desk on Level two. More information here: Storyplace.

Picture courtesy of Te Papa.

Autumn in Wellington can grace us with crisp bright days, or it can be merciless and bucket down with rain and blustery gales, with everything and anything weather-wise in between.  When I get the chance, I like to get my boys outdoors, mostly because they need it.  It’s also an interesting time to see nature at it’s finest and the beautiful transition into winter.  Here’s Citywrigglers’ best ideas for autumn outdoors for kids.

Zealandia.  It’s a sanctuary for our native birds, but also a haven for native trees, foliage, bugs and all things that young children relish.  Wrap up warm complete with rain jackets and gumboots, and take your little ones on an outdoor adventure. If the rain sets in, let them play inside and wander around the Zealandia indoor exhibition space and treat them to a fluffy at Reka cafe. For more information and open times, visit Zealandia.

Apple Picking at Ration Creek It’s a fun day out and bonus points for getting your family their five-a-day via fresh apples.  Based in Porirua and open from mid-March to June. Find pick your own fruit details here.

Botanic Gardens  It’s a wonderful place to explore, and there’s always something to discover. The Botanic Gardens also has plenty of places to shelter from rain for a brief bit of respite should the weather turn suddenly too. Try a ride up the cable car, then a walk through the trees to The Space Place. Stop at Begonia House for a duck food parcel and wander down to the duck pond.

Te Papa has a great outdoor space in it’s Bush City area (head out through the cafe on the ground floor).  Kids can explore this outdoor space, complete with ‘glow worm’ caves, a swinging bridge and sand fossil pit, then head inside to warm up and wander around the museum.

The Island Bay Marine Education Centre While it’s not technically outdoors, the centre houses an amazing collection of sea-creatures with a huge touch-tank full of starfish, crabs and more which children can touch and pick up plus loads of tanks full of all sorts of fascinating things. It’s open on Sundays 10am – 3pm in Island Bay.  For more information, visit Octopus.

For more information on these ideas as well as many other great family activities, head to our activities page.

“#mypubliclandsroadtrip 2016: Get outdoors Baby” by Bureau of Land Management is licensed under CC by 2.0

What is it?  A music session designed for babies and young children. A presenter leads an interactive session of action songs, rhymes, finger play and stories.

Where is it? Find one at a local library near you, or just head along to one where the day suits you!  If you live in Lower Hutt, try Bounce and Rhyme, which is a similar concept.

Best for:  Little ones up to 2 years of age, when they get older, they might prefer the Library storytime sessions instead.

Citywrigglers tip:  There’s a CD available to buy of all the songs, or have a free listen to one of the songs on the Wellington City Council what’s on for kids page.  Also this is a free session and no need to book ahead!

For other music classes on around Wellington, check out our Music page. 

What is it?  A fun indoor playland filled with soft play equipment and a bouncy castle for gym-jamming preschool fun.

Where is it? Karori Rec Centre on Fridays (9.30am – 11.30am) and Nairnville Rec Centre on Saturdays (9am – 11.30am)

Best for: 2-4 year olds

Why go?  Your kid will thank you and what else can you do at 9am on a Saturday when the kids have woken you up at 5am? They also play upbeat music at Nairnville on Saturday, so it’s like a disco for kids with gym equipment!

Citywriggler tip: Meet up with friends and get someone to grab coffee on the way.

For more information about Gym Jam, visit Wellington City Council. For more gym classes, check out Citywrigglers Gym page.

The great thing about summer is that many-a-day can be filled with a splash in a paddling pool, a walk to the local playground and maybe an ice-cream treat. But  what about those days where you’re keen to take the kids somewhere but don’t want to leave your pockets empty? Well, here’s Citywrigglers’ pick of fun, free or cheap days out with kids in Wellington this summer.

Take me to the beach
Ok, so we don’t have white sandy beaches like the Gold Coast, but on a good day Wellington has some lovely spots perfect for a bit of a dig and dip in the water.  Why not head out to somewhere you’ve not been before?

Balaena Bay View Map
Days Bay, Eastbourne View Map
Fryberg Beach View Map
Island Bay View Map
Lyall Bay View  Map
Scorching Bay View Map

Fruit picking
There’s something really lovely and ‘old-worldy’ about fruit picking.  Just check before you go as availability depends on how the season is going.  January is a great time for blueberries, why not try Bluebank or the Blueberry Farm in the Akatarawas or BerryHealthy at Pauatahanui. Bluebank also has an emu farm and Blueberry Farm a petting zoo. Listings of “pick your own” farms are here: Pick Your Own.

Botanic Gardens
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been before, there’s always something different to occupy kids at the Botanic Gardens. Kick a ball around the sound-shell lawn, check out the rose-garden and fountain. The Begonia House is surprisingly good for toddlers – go right to the end where the lily pond and goldfish are. Play on the stage at the Dell. Hunt for bugs and look out for birds on the bush tracks. Take a picnic and add in a bus ride or trip up the Cable Car and you’ve got a full day out for pretty cheap.

Cycle or scoot
If you’ve got cycle confident kids, or one of those cool ride on seats then Wellington’s got great options for family biking.  Try Pencarrow Heads and Lighthouse, Ara Harakeke outside Plimerton or the Hutt River Trail.  There are also some great kids BMX tracks tucked in and around Wellington too. Or if you’re not into cycling, then there’s plenty of scooting options around the place too.

Get your coordinates and go
Geocaching is an awesome adventure for families and you might just discover some new Wellington locations.  Get the coordinates, download the Geocaching app or use a GPS and start hunting! For Wellington Geocaching spots, visit Geocaching. Or for young ones, why not try the Fairy Door Trail and take the kids on a hunt for fairy doors around Titahi Bay. Keep an eye out around town for the coffee-loving fairy’ doors too.  The great thing about these activities is that you don’t have to complete it all in one day, set a challenge over the summer to complete them all.

Let’s get regional
We’re so lucky to have some wonderful nature reserves and parks really close to our doorstep.   Ideas include Kaitoke Regional Park, where you can visit the beautiful Lord of the Rings Elvish Archway in Rivendell (you can go camping at Kaitoke too) or Battle Hill Forest Farm.  For a bit of nature close to the CBD, head to New Zealand’s only native botanic garden Otari-Wilton’s bush.

Playgrounds
Why not pick a new location and try a playground you’ve never been to before?  Take a picnic and meet some friends and it’s a full day out.  Head to our list of playgrounds and hunt for a new one!

Trains
There’s lots of ways to enjoy a bit of train action over summer.  Why not head to Wellington Railway Station and plan a train excursion for the day, tickets for under-5’s are free and make use of the multi-trip or day passes for the adults.  Or head to one of the many miniature trains that operate on Sundays and hop on for a couple of dollars:

Avalon park, Saturday and Sundays between 1 – 4pm. More information: Avalon park
Maidstone Park, Sundays between 1 – 4pm. More information: Maidstone Railway
Petone (next to the playground), 1 – 2 pm Sundays.
Queen Elizabeth Park on the Kapiti Coast, Sundays from 1 – 4pm. More information: Kapiti rail

These next two don’t fall into the free or cheap category (but are worth a mention anyway). Loco is a miniature train park and gardens in Otaki or visit Silverstream Railway, a working heritage railway open on Sundays.

Summer Pools
Swimming, summer, pool, what three energy-burning words are better? Wellington has fantastic summer pools scattered around like Thorndon, Khandallah, Petone, Eastbourne and Wainuiomata (which has a water slide that winds through the bush!). Or just head to one of the many covered pools for an other inexpensive day out.

For more fun things to do, try Citywrigglers activities or attractions pages or find out what’s happening around the city on our what’s on page. Ok, so I know Wellington has some rainy days too, so why not head to our bad weather activities page if the day turns a bit mucky. 

“A Career in Sandcastle Building Starts Here” by Colin Bowern is licensed under CC by 2.0