Family activities in Queenstown, New Zealand

WHETHER high in the air, making a splash on water, or at ground-level speed, it's child's play at Queenstown, writes

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I AM a helicopter parent, but not in the sense of hovering around little Johnny making sure the kids don't climb too high on the monkey bars. Rather, I'm the kind of parent who sees a helicopter and thinks, "Hey, let's see if the kids are game to take a ride in that .''

Part of this I am sure is from having grown up in the bush in the 1970s, when the idea of fun for a nine-year-old was to go and make your own BMX track with your friends and ride as fast as we could off jumps (this is pre-helmet days) trying not to stack it when you landed. Of course stack we did, and while I can recall some nasty handlebars-in-the-ribs kind of bingles nobody was badly injured. It also provided some good life lessons in what you can and can't get away with. Nowadays the BMX track near me advises riders to wear full-face helmets and body armour while parents hover around the track ready to apply Band-Aids if anybody happens to fall off. Safer for sure, but also kind of symbolic of the extent we now go to in our plastic-wrapped, screen-driven world. Which brings me to Queenstown on New Zealand's south island. Most people know it has a reputation as a great place to go skiing in winter and is the outdoor adventure capital of the southern hemisphere. But does all that adventure extend to the kids? 1. JET BOATING Jet boating was effectively invented in New Zealand in the 1950s by Charles Hamilton, and it has since spawned a multimillion-dollar industry. Myriad companies offer trips from the heart of Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu and on the nearby Shotover, Kawarau and Dart rivers. Like just about everything in town it's not a particularly cheap way to pass a few hours, with tickets ranging in price from about $A55 for children to $105 for adults on the Shotover Jet, but it is a lot of fun. While some companies such as the Shotover Jet have a height restriction, usually around 100-120cm depending on conditions, New Zealand tends to adopt the rather refreshing approach of assuming parents considering a jet boat ride know if their kids are going to be up for it or not. A jet boat on the spectacular Dart River in New Zealand. Picture: Trevor Seymour. We skipped the Shotover this time around and instead headed to Skippers Canyon. The ride into the canyon is pretty hair raising, and whizzing past rocks at 60km/h is only slightly more scary. It's a real hoot and the older kids are all smiles while our four-year-old daughter keeps her head down out of the wind for much of the trip, occasionally lifting it up to emit a wild cackle when the boat does a spin. Even in midsummer it can be near freezing on the water if the weather is anything but sunny so beanies and gloves are a good idea. Safety-wise, jet boats are not without some risks and the standard warnings about bad backs, pregnancy and recent surgery apply. A quick search of the internet will also reveal some pretty graphic accidents over the years, although given the passenger numbers you are more likely to be injured on the narrow NZ roads getting to whatever ride you decide to take. That said, two jet boats collided the very day we were canoeing on the Dart River, proving there is always some risk with any activity involving speed and humans. Cost: About $A60 for children to $A110 for adults depending on the operator. Children under five are sometimes admitted free but this depends on the operator, family tickets provide considerable discounts. 2. WHITEWATER RAFTING If you don't like being wet, a bit cold and abhor insects, this is not for you, but chances are these things won't bother your kids. Queenstown offers a couple of options for families. Family Adventures rafts the upper reaches of the Shotover River on relatively gentle grade one and two rapids. Dart River Jet Safaris does a tour up the spectacular river of the same name. Called the Funyak Safari, it involves a 45-minute drive to the head of Lake Wakatipu, followed by just over an hour in a jetboat up the Dart River. This is real Lord of The Rings territory with the scenery breathtakingly familiar. You half expect to see an Orc or Billbo Baggins wandering along the shoreline. The real fun part of the trip is made in Funyaks, basically inflatable kayaks, where we paddle and drift downstream, stopping to take in a spectacular side trip up the Rockburn Chasm. It is great fun, one of the few days I can't recall my kids ever uttering the words "I'm bored'', and leaves them fully exhausted, with my normally monstrous seven-year-old son falling asleep with his head on my shoulder on the bus ride back after eight hours activity. Safety-wise, the trip downriver on the rafts is very well managed with a full briefing, gear and a guide for every eight or nine people. This is a highly recommended activity.Samantha and Alex Seymour rafting the Dart River in New Zealand aboard a funyak. Picture: Trevor Seymour. Cost: Funyak safari about $A187 child (aged 5-15), $A272 adult, $A731 family (two adults and two children). For rafting visit familyadventures.co.nz 3. SEGWAY Even when I heard that the man who bought the Segway company, Jimi Heselden, died after crashing one off a cliff in 2010, I always thought the bizarre two-wheeled electric -powered and gyroscopically balanced contraptions looked great fun. The nature of controlling a Segway means there is a limit to age and weight of a rider. Basically they need to be physically big enough (about 35kg) and old enough (about 10) to be able to control the vehicle and mature enough not to go rogue once they have mastered it. After a 15-minute lesson in controlling them my oldest daughter and I were off right through the middle of town, even inside a building. They are awesome fun, if slightly disconcerting. For me perhaps the best part was watching the level of confidence build in my 10-year-old daughter as she was allowed to control her own powered vehicle for the first time. And as if proving the truism about women drivers being better, Dad had two minor prangs while she never put a wheel wrong. It's probably about as dangerous as riding a bike and, like most activities in Queenstown, participants must sign a waiver abrogating the company of responsibility for injury, and wear a helmet. Cost: Child about $A64; adult $A72 for 1-hour ride. 4. LUGE It's an old favourite, but one my kids voted as equal best fun on the trip alongside rafting. The Luge, located above the spectacular Skyline Gondola consists of two concrete tracks winding their way downhill through hairpin turns, tunnels and steep dips. Riders sit on little wheeled sleds that are easily controlled by handlebars and are very stable. At the bottom an old-fashioned chairlift pretty much the same as those used at ski fields take the riders back to the top for another run. Helmets are mandatory and we witness a few minor prangs and resultant loss of skin from the more exuberant teenage lugers on New Year's Eve. But it ultimately comes down to knowing your limits. Cost: Wide range of packages. Gondola trip and two luge rides costs about $A24 child (5-14 years) and $A33 adult 5. FLYING FOX One of the newer attractions to Queenstown is the Ziptrek Eco Tour. In old-fashioned parlance this is a series of giant flying foxes stretching from tree houses built into the pine forest that sits above Queenstown, near the top point of the Skyline Gondola. After a short safety briefing and the obligatory safety waiver, we are strapped into our multi-point harnesses and then proceed along a series of cables down the side of the mountain. The safety harness is attached to an anchor point at all times when not within a designated safe part of the tour. Much like the Segway this is not only great fun but it's good to see the level of confidence it gives to the kids as they skim through the pine forest at heights of 20m. Alex Seymour ready to set off on a flying fox. Picture: Trevor Seymour. The eco component comes through a series of brief talks given by the guides at the start of each line. There are two tours to choose from, offering four or six flying foxes. Cost: From about $A67 (6-14 years); Adult $A110 for the 4-line Moa tour. 6. HELICOPTER OK, I might like helicopters but they are expensive and as a result tend to remain the domain of rock stars, actors and the seriously rich. Sadly I'm none of these so am restricted to the very occasional joy rides to take in the views. There are also few other places better to experience a joy ride than around the mountainous regions of New Zealand. Self-confessed helicopter parent Trevor Seymour with daughter Ashleigh Seymour aboard a helicopter in Queenstown, New Zealand. Picture: Supplied. We opted for a 20-minute trip up to the top of the Remarkables mountain range. As there had been a dump of snow two days earlier there was still a patch left near where we landed, and a bonus for my two youngest children who had never been in the snow before. The view was spectacular, but the highlight for the kids was playing pilot with the headphones as we circled back in to land over the lake. Cost: From about $A140 to $A192 a person for the Remarkables scenic flight. Costs depend on the time of flight and ages of passengers. It's cheaper if you have five or six and group charter the helicopter. Expect to pay about $A485 for up to six people. 7. HIKING Hiking with small children rarely goes well and usually ends with Mum or Dad carrying somebody on their shoulders, a grazed knee and endless moaning about food, the weather or anything else they can think of. Experience has taught me to lower expectations. It's not about doing the whole hike but being outdoors. Pack well (by this I mean some food) and try to make it fun for the kids. Hide and seek along the path is always a good game to play to keep them moving. Queenstown has a bunch of short and relatively easy walks. I say relatively easy as most of the ones outside of the town involve some serious hills. If your idea of a walk is a short stroll on some flat ground, be warned that most of them require at least an average level of fitness. Probably the best family-friendly walk near to Queenstown is around Moke Lake. It's about 17 km from Queenstown towards Glenorchy, the last bit on a gravel road across farmland. The path around the lake takes two to three hours to walk. It's spectacularly beautiful with a well-made path and enough places for the kids to explore as they go. Samantha Seymour at Moke Lake. Picture: Trevor Seymour. Cost: It's free. 8. BUNGY JUMPING I would think twice about allowing my 10-year-old (the minimum allowable age) to go bungy jumping. Not because I think it is particularly dangerous and, having made a few jumps myself , I know it is great fun, but more because I wonder if a 10-year-old is really ready psychologically to stand on a platform 43m above a river and leap off, even if strapped to Mum or Dad. Children under 14 need to be accompanied by an adult. For older and more adventurous teenagers it's a great option and something to give them bragging rights among their friends. Queenstown offers a range of bungy jumping, with the Kawarau Bridge jump the most popular and boasting a great viewing platform for those not taking the dive. Cost: Child (10-15 years) about $A110 and adult $A153. 9. TSS EARNSLAW Pretty much every family who comes to Queenstown takes a ride on the majestic old steam boat that plies its trade across the lake to Walter Peak station. It's more of a fun ride than an adventure, although little kids love watching the coal-fired boilers being stoked and clambering about the decks of the steamer as it takes about 90 minutes to cross the lake. At Walter Peak High Country Farm you can opt for tea and scones, a barbecue lunch (recommended) or go on a horse ride around the farm. Cost: From about $A47 adult; $A19 child (5-14 years) for cruise; lunch extra. 10. KINGSTON FLYER The Flyer is a true icon of the area but continues to be threatened by financial and mechanical problems. If these obstacles can be overcome for the 2014 summer season it will once again provide joy rides for steam train enthusiasts between Kingston and Fairlight. The ride along a valley carved by glacier is spectacular, the carriages are fittingly authentic and, while it doesn't have the excitement factor the older kids may want, it is a unique way to travel. The smoke and steam from the engine is unlike anything else. For any fan of Thomas the Tank Engine it is likely to be the most memorable part of the adventure. Cost: Children (5-15) about $A25 return; adult $A51 return. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars and are an approximate guide only. Prices are subject to change depending on exchange rate and current deals. Please check directly with vendor. The writer paid all travel costs. GO2 QUEENSTOWN Getting there Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand fly to Queenstown. Staying there Spinnaker Bay Queenstown Apartments has 18 one, two and three-bedroom fully serviced units right on the lake. The apartments have fantastic views of the mountains and are a short walk from the heart of town and close to the airport. For more options see queenstownnz.co.nz/information/accommodation