The fun never stops at Shantytown. Take a day off work these school holidays and purchase the The Shantytown Kids Zone Family Pass. There are loads of kids activities including the opportunity for them to see what it was like to go to school in a gold rush town – this includes spelling on a slate and saying ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’. Brilliant!

For kids who love two wheels, there are some great bike tracks to try these school holidays. There is the option to do a whole day or half day bike trip. Keeping in mind these aren’t biking tours so you may need to accompany your little ones!

There are loads of family tours you can do at NZ Discovery adventures but the best are Mutiny on the Bounty Kids Rafting Adventure and Raft the Rainforest. This amazing rafting experience also includes a treasure hunt!

OSCAR Greymouth has a great kids programme this July. Suitable for kids aged 5- 13 years, there’s a whole week of activities including pizza making, stone painting and a visit to the police station! For more info visit this website: www.westreap.org.nz

One of Westland’s best tourist attractions! Experience the Wild West of New Zealand inside at The Bushmans Centre. There’s a café, museum and shop tfor the kids to explore, and loads of fun activities – great for keeping the kids entertained!

For kids with bundles of energy and who love the cold, then Mt Hutt has them covered. The ski field’s Snow Sports School has programmes for kids from three months of age (that does sound a little crazy!) through to the older kids in their mid teens. Sign up to their School Holiday Programme today!

The best time of the year for Canterbury children is Kids Fest. There’s not enough room here to cover all the amazing activities on offer over the school holidays, so here are a few highlights: The Great Kaiapoi Beer Hunt; Fudge Spectacular; Roller Disco and Little River Rail Trail.

If you’re not a fan of zoos then you should try Willowbank – these well cared for animals are not locked up in cages, but have a nice little life. Get a family pass for the entire year or just make some special trips of the school holidays. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, you’ll love it here. Grab the family day pass for only $69.

Get your kids having fun these school holidays – at King’s Kids they can learn to dance and learn to act. This is a Christian school programme so they’ll learn about the Christian faith and make new friends.

What kid doesn’t love soccer? Lucky for Christchurch kids there is Grasshopper Soccer, a non-competitive competition for ages 2-12 and for all abilities. This community-based soccer organisation is easy on the pocket too – so you don’t have to do away with bundles of dough.

Catch the sport on the big screen at Revy’s Sports Bar, an offshoot to Revingtons Hotel, an historic hotel in Greymouth. Here you’ll feel like everyone is your friend, thanks to the good West Coast hospitality. Open for breakfast and dinner every day of the week. You’d be crazy not to visit!

This place goes off every Saturday night in Hokitika, thanks to the good cheap drinks, live music and live sports coverage. And they serve breakfast every morning if you ever need help nursing that hangover.

This bar is well and truly for the ‘Coasters’ of New Zealand. They’re all buddies here – bond with the locals over the regular quiz night, cricket on the box or the excellent music playing overhead. Grab a pint and have a good time – it’s hard not to at Coasters.

You just need to look at their Facebook page to know that the Black and White Hotel is the place to be every night of the week. With a TAB, live music and sport action on the small screen, you wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else.

A fun restaurant for the whole family and located the near the beautiful Lake Te Anau, have a drink in the beer garden or watch your favourite sport on the big screen. The Moose is famous for their amazing steak! And for those who like to try their luck, there are also a couple of TAB machines.

This gaming restaurant has it all from jackpot, pool and darts to an outside courtyard with open fire, and more importantly a big screen for all the sports action. Take a trip down to The Thar any night of the week to catch up with mates over a pint or grab a meal from the bar.

Watch all the amazing rugby action on the big screen down at Editor’s Cut Sports Bar. Part of the Kelvin Hotel complex, grab a seat at the bar and watch the racing on the massive TAB screens. If pokies are more your thing, then take your pick of 18 machines! This is the place to be any night of the week.

Join the Te Anau Club and have access to their amazing bistro menu. Take your friends and enjoy the surrounds of the venue, and there’s a TAB, sports screens and a bottle store for you to enjoy too!

Originally the Olde Trafford Inn, Traffers was born way back in 1976. Having undergone a name change in 2001 and a full make over later on in life, Traffers has been re-born to be a pretty darn good sports bar. Expect the usual facilities that come with any great sports bar: pool room; darts board and Sky T.V on a massive screen.

Self proclaimed ‘Queenstown’s local pub’, Pub on Wharf has everything you need for a great night – live music, good prices on drinks (and no holiday surcharges!) and the opportunity to catch some of your favourite sport on the TV. A true kiwi pub.

Whether you like to watch a bit of sport on the screen, try your luck at the TAB or on a gaming machine, Roaring Meg will have you entertained for hours. Sometimes going under its other moniker ‘The Public Bar’, you’ll definitely have a great time here, particularly because the classic southern drink, Speight’s is the house beer.

Harness racing is the order of the day at Forbury’s. This taven and function room can cater to your private party or just a night out with the mates. Watch the racing out the window or on the screens inside with a nice cold beer in hand.

If it’s sport your after, Xtreme Sports Bar has you covered. With 21 flat screen televisions, the city’s largest project screen and outside televisions, this place will blow your mind in terms of sports coverage. There are daily meal deals and drinks specials which will keep you inside for hours.

An amazing pub located in the heart of Mt Hutt village, The Blue Pub has live music from bands that will have you up on your feet, and cool facilities including an open fire and 60 inch flat screen TV – that means you can watch your sport whilst you enjoy a great beer.

The recently re-opened and re-located bar is a great place for functions, celebrating St Patrick’s Day or watching a game on the big screen. Now located on Victoria Street, an area becoming known for its nightlife, The Bog is the place to go on a Saturday after your big match or early morning during the World Cup to catch the big All Blacks games!.

The Brown Pub is a country-style establishment, serving up tasty meals and great drinks. The Fireside Bar plays music and sport on the big screen (whenever there is a big game on). Expect classic pub fare with a twist here – they have recently eliminated 75% of deep fried food from their menu, so you can be sure you’re keeping your heart healthy!

Located in the Christchurch Casino, enjoy your sport in style at Monza. The hottest games and tournaments play on the giant flat screens in high definition. Everything from rugby, football and motor sports are played here and there’s even ½ metres pizzas to enjoy with your mates.

A brew bar and sports bar in one, if you are looking for a place to hit it hard on a Friday night then head along to The Brewhouse! Featuring within the Brewhouse is The Brook Sports Bar and comes equipped with a themed gaming area, pool table, full serviced TAB and big screen for live sport.