Keeping kids entertained during weekends and school holidays doesn’t require high-stress planning or expensive theme parks. Christchurch is one of Australasia’s most family-accessible cities, bursting with open parks, hands-on museums, and memorable evening adventures.
1. Margaret Mahy Family Playground
Named after the beloved Kiwi children’s author, this four-hectare super-park in central Christchurch is widely hailed as one of the best playgrounds in the Southern Hemisphere. With custom-built splash zones, massive twin spiral tube slides, four-metre climbing towers, and accessible swings, kids of all ages can burn energy for hours.
2. Kiwi Spotting at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
Located on the city fringe in Styx Mill, Willowbank is home to New Zealand’s ‘Big 5’ wildlife: the kiwi, kea, tuatara, kaka, and takahe. Children love hand-feeding farmyard animals, crossing suspension bridges, and walking through the nocturnal kiwi house to watch native birds forage in real time.
3. Interactive Cockpits at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Situated on the historic Wigram airfield, the Air Force Museum offers free general admission and houses dozens of full-sized aircraft spanning century-old biplanes to modern jet fighters. The museum’s interactive scavenger hunts and flight simulators make it a rainy-day lifesaver for parents.
4. Spencer Park Beach & Forest Disc Golf
Head north to Spencer Park for coastal bush tracks, sheltered barbecue picnic pergolas, and a 9-hole disc golf course under the pine forest canopy. It’s an ideal spot to let kids cycle safely before heading over the dunes for a paddle in the surf.
5. Pyjama Drive-In Movie Nights with Firefly Cinemas
Taking kids to an indoor movie theater can feel stressful — managing sticky cinema seats, whispering toddlers, and expensive popcorn tickets. A pop-up drive-in cinema completely flips the script:
- The Tailgate Lounge: Fold down the back seats of your SUV or wagon, pile up duvets, pillows, and sleeping bags, and let the kids watch in their favourite pyjamas.
- Zero ‘Shushing’ Required: Because sound plays through your vehicle stereo or portable FM radio, you control the volume inside your own space.
- Freedom to Wiggle: Kids can giggle, ask questions about the movie, or drift off to sleep when they get tired without disturbing other moviegoers.
👨👩👧👦 Family Packing Advice
Bring along thermoses of warm milo, a big batch of homemade buttered popcorn, and a pair of fuzzy slippers. If the kids doze off during the second half of the film, you can simply drive home and carry them straight to bed!
Add a drive-in night to your weekend
See what's screening in Christchurch this week — vehicle bays from a straightforward price, no surprises.
