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Family Fun in Methven

Methven is a great family holiday destination in the South Island of New Zealand

Methven is surrounded by high country lakes, braided rivers and conservation parks which provide amazing scenery and a friendly relaxed space that families love spending time in.

It’s the kind of place you wish you had grown up in, a friendly rural community where kids love playing and exploring outside and think nothing of heading into the great outdoors with their parents, hiking up a mountain, or skiing down one.

Here’s some of our suggestions for spending a fun filled family holiday together in Methven:

• Take advantage of the region's Kids 4 Free deal. Kids 10 years and under receive free lift passes at Mt Hutt during the ski season, and all year around they receive free travel, accommodation, meals and activities from selected businesses throughout the region when they are accompanied by an adult. Check out www.kids4free.co.nz for more inormation.
   
• If the kids aren’t quite ready to give skiing or boarding a go this winter you can be sure that making a snow man (with the compulsory family snow ball fight) followed by a hot chocolate in the café will result in smiles all round. Sightseeing chair lift rides are available too; the views from the top are amazing.
   
• Explore the great outdoors and head out for a bush walk. Kids will love the bridges near the carparks at Sharplin Falls & Woolshed Creek. Pre-schoolers will be able to wander along the well-formed tracks by the streams for a bit, older kids will be able to walk into Sharplin Falls with you.
   
• Visit a farm on the outskirts of Methven and help the farmer feed some animals. Pop into to see at the staff at the Methven i-SITE Visitor Centre and they can organise a visit for you.
   
• The Methven Walkway loops around the outskirts of Methven and bikes are allowed on the walkway too. The section along the Rangitata Diversion Race (RDR) is always popular, and children will love the part of the track that weaves its way through the pine trees along Holmes Road. They can bounce their way over tree roots and zip through puddles and squish through mud.
   
• Wet days can sometimes be a challenge with children, but luckily Methven has the perfect solution – the NZ Alpine & Agriculture Centre. This must-see attraction will have families driving a header, operating an excavator, learning how milk is made, exploring an ice-cave, climbing over irrigators and enjoying some of the lighter moments in New Zealand's snowsports history.
   
• Methven has a fantastic outdoor Community Swimming Pool which is open during the summer months, and Methven Resort also has an outdoor heated pool - hot pools too.
   
• The gazebo within the Garden of Harmony (located on South Belt between the Methven Play Centre and Methven Preschool) is a great morning or afternoon tea picnic spot. They will love running around the paths and over the bridges and the water feature is pretty cool too.
   
• The Awa Awa Rata Reserve at the base of Mount Hutt is a great picnic spot for families, especially during late spring when the Rhododendrons are in full flower. The Te Awa Awa Walk is great for preschoolers; they’ll think they have been on such a big bush walk but shouldn’t complain about the distance too much! Great shade on a hot summer’s day too.
   
• The Methven Playground in the centre of town will keep the kids entertained for quite a while, especially with the new rope climbing frame and there are plenty of spots for a picnic.
   
• The newly constructed Methven BMX Jump Park located behind the domain provides plently of action in town and the cross country tracks at Mt Hutt Bike Park are fantastic.
   
• If you’re visiting us in winter then a trip to the Staveley ice skating rink is a must! Surrounded by beech forest, accessed by a swing bridge and with the promise of an open fire to melt some marshmallows kids will have a great time here – and will love helping Dad stay up on his feet even more!
   
• Pick up a copy of the Methven Heritage Trail brochure from the Methven i-SITE Visitor Centre and take a wander around town learning about our heritage.
   
• Listen to the screams of excitement as you blast up the Rakaia River via jet boat, especially when the driver spins the boat 360 degrees and the magnificent scenery blurs before their eyes.