South Island top destination for families
Kids Friendly Travel’s (www.kidsfriendlytravel.com) first annual People’s Choice Award shows families believe the South Island to be a top destination to visit with children.
The award looked for family-friendly attractions around New Zealand. The South Island came out on top, with six out of the 10 top places going to South Island attractions said Kids Friendly Travel founder Gaye Miller.
“After the earthquake in Christchurch earlier this year, it was really exciting to see the South Island stand out as the top destination for families.
“This was a 100 per cent public vote and reflects what people thought were the “must see or do attractions” for families in New Zealand.”
People were asked to vote for their favourite attraction, and what they would recommend to others as a “must do” activity in New Zealand.
The top spot went to Coronet Peak Ski Field, with Auckland Zoo in second place and Remarkables Ski Field in third place. The beautiful Milford Sounds was the only natural attraction to make it in to the top 10.
The top 10 family-friendly attractions for 2011 are:
1. Coronet Peak Ski Field – (www.nzski.com) – Queenstown
2. Auckland Zoo – (www.aucklandzoo.co.nz) - Auckland
3. Remarkables Ski Field – (www.nzski.com) – Queenstown
4. Butterfly Creek – (www.butterflycreek.co.nz) – Auckland
5. Mt Hutt Ski Field – (www.nzski.com) – Canterbury
6. Puzzling World – (www.puzzlingworld.co.nz) – Wanaka
7. Hanmer Springs Hot Pools – (www.hanmersprings.co.nz) – Hanmer Springs
8. Staglands Wildlife Reserve – (www.staglands.co.nz) – Upper Hutt/Wellington
9. Milford Sounds
10. Skyline Luge- (www.skylineskyrides.co.nz/rotorua) – Rotorua
Some natural and free attractions make it onto the top 25 list. These included: Rotorua’s Redwoods, Auckland’s Western Springs Park and Goat Island Marine Reserves in Leigh.
“This was great to see, as many families find the current times really tough at the moment and it’s good to see people value these natural attractions as something special.” said Gaye.
