Keep the kids entertained these school holidays

The hills of city-fringe suburb Newtown hide a secret. Discover more than 500 native and endangered exotic animals at the 13-hectare zoo. Grab a zoo map and check out snow leopard sisters Asha and Manju in their purpose-built habitat, see a lemur hanging from a tree, spot the red panda, or be entertained by the chimpanzees. Explore the walk-through New Zealand precinct, hop into the Australian area where kangaroos roam or spy native birds like kea soaring overhead. Fun for the entire family.

It’s Wellington’s answer to Willy Wonka. The award-winning Wellington Chocolate Factory helps you learn all about the art of chocolate-making. From bean to bar, everything is handcrafted. The factory doors are open for junior tours during school holidays only. Chocoholic kids can decorate their own chocolate bar, create a custom wrapper, and hand-wrap their creation. There’ll also be time to enjoy a hot chocolate along the way. 

Visit the home of movie-making magic and see behind the scenes of how your favourite movies are brought to life. Wētā Workshop combines cutting-edge technology with hand-crafted artistry. If you’re a movie fan, a creative whizz, or looking to learn a new skill, Wēta’s creative workshops are a fun activity. Roll up your sleeves and discover the magic of sculpting with household materials and modelling clay. Create a leather keepsake in an introduction to leatherwork. Or, try your hand at special effects makeup. You’ll learn to create gruesome wounds, fake blood, scars and scrapes.

Just minutes from the central city is the world’s first fully fenced ecosanctuary, Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne. With 225 hectares of regenerating forest, more than 40 rare native wildlife species and 32km of tracks to explore, it’s a fun-filled, active day out. Join a guided tour, or pick up a visitor map and venture around the reserve and spot the wildlife yourself. Keep a lookout for prehistoric reptile, the tuatara, giant wētā, or kererū, and the chunky native pigeon. Exploring the sanctuary by torchlight on a night tour is a great way to spot creatures like cave wētā, ruru, and glowworms. If you’re lucky, you may get to see one of the estimated 140 rare little spotted kiwis living within the sanctuary.

One of the capital’s most iconic experiences is a five-minute trip that has become a must-do for tourists. Every 10 minutes, the bright red Wellington Cable Car traverses the hills of Kelburn. It’s a 612m journey from its city centre location to the top. Along the way, you’ll travel through tunnels full of LED lights and over three bridges. The views of the city, harbour and hills are spectacular. There’s a free museum at the top that tells the story of the cable car through original artefacts, photographs, and interactive exhibitions. From the top, there’s also easy access to Wellington Botanic Garden, Space Place and Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne (via free shuttle).

Sitting on one of the high ridges in Wellington’s Botanic Gardens, Space Place at Carter Observatory is home to a digital full-dome planetarium. Sit back and recline in comfort while you go on a virtual space journey through the solar system and beyond. In the adjacent interactive exhibits and galleries, take in the sheer scale of the universe and its origins in the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. Feel the rumble of a rocket launch, find out about when humans landed on the moon, touch a moon rock, or check out the junior astronaut zone. Discover the Māori story of creation and the significance of Matariki. Visit at night to view the southern skies through the 150-year-old Thomas Cooke telescope.

One of the many jewels on Wellington’s waterfront, the Wellington Museum tells a thousand stories about the city and its people. From maritime history to early Māori settlement, and the city’s evolution since becoming the capital in 1865. The exhibitions are designed to make information accessible and fun so that kids will be engaged. There’s a giant high-definition carpet map of the entire city. You can search for your house or hotel. A re-creation of a 19th-century Wellington wharf with scurrying ‘rats’ makes for a fun and enthralling exhibit. There are holographs, a time capsule experience, short films, and plenty more.