Married with Children: Auckland

Getting to New Zealand is a long journey, especially with kids! Whenever I have a long flight, I book my first day as a restful one. My husband takes the kids to the hotel pool and I have a day at the spa. The water is so rejuvenating for everyone after a long flight.

We stayed at the Cordis Hotel, which has a beautiful spa. Soaking in the hot water and getting an exfoliation treatment to renew that airplane skin, followed by a deep tissue massage, is the perfect way to kick off the first day. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, Our Land, which serves traditional local food. You can have a stress-free day but still take in some local culture.

However, if you want to hit the ground running, a good compromise is visiting one of the local hot springs. They are a bit of a drive, but if you have an early flight, you could head straight there for a soak, and check in when you feel like yourself again. Do be aware that most hot springs have age restrictions.

Breakfast via room service (extra, extra coffee). Afterwards, we split up. My husband hates wine, so I went on a wine tour with a girlfriend while he took the kids to Snow Planet for indoor skiing and tubing. The little ones have so much energy to burn off, and Snow Planet has options for all ages, as well as private lessons and all the snow gear that you need!

I hired a private guide for my wine tour. He took us to several wineries, and also to the black sand beaches. The views were spectacular, and all of our tours were private. It was really nice to have the one-on-one attention from a private guide.

After the kids were worn out, my husband brought them back to the hotel and had food delivered via Uber Eats. I’m going to be honest, we hate taking our kids out to eat, and actively avoid it. The kids don’t like it and neither do we, so you will notice a trend with us having food delivered to the hotel.

At night, I recommend bioluminescent kayaking at Waiake Beach. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience—seeing the waves light up with bioluminescent animals is an experience you will never forget.

You can’t go to New Zealand and not talk about Lord of the Rings, right? Even if you aren’t a fan, it is so cool to see the set of “Hobbiton.” There are many, many tours available, and they will all take up your whole day. So, plan to be gone and know that your lunch will be had at The Green Dragon Inn while there. It is a long journey for kids, so if you do allow screen time, I would recommend giving it to them on the bus journey there and back again.