Well... there's at least one way to make a holiday with a four-year-old actually enjoyable.

As we board our aircraft for a four and a half hour flight I realise that there’s no inflight entertainment system.

The sudden realisation that I will have to keep my son occupied with nothing more than a colouring book and a Winnie-The-Pooh stuffed toy hits me with the weight of an iPad full of Peppa Pig episodes – the one I had neglected to bring.

I hope and pray that this is not an omen for the rest of our trip.

William, on the plane telling every other passenger that we're headed to NZ. Like they didn't already know.
Image supplied.

As it happens, he handles things remarkably well and delights in telling basically the entire plane that we’re going to New Zealand, you know, just in case they hadn’t checked their tickets at the gate.

I’d not previously attempted a lot of family travel, limiting things to the odd road trip to visit relatives. Mostly the idea terrifies me; being away from all our stuff- the stuff that keeps my kids entertained- the idea of hauling mountains of luggage around, finding stuff to do that they I will enjoy as much as they will. I love the idea of doing kid stuff with my kids, but only the idea. I’m not so much into the participation in the kid stuff when push comes to shove.

But there I was, headed to Auckland in the company of a four and a half year old to go on a family tour in the middle of school holidays.

LOST. MY. HEAD.

I adore New Zealand, though. People who call it Australia-lite, our ninth state, do the place a serious injustice. The food is delicious, the wine is arguably better than ours, the people are hilarious, the scenery is stunning and the culture is fantastic. But what is it like through the eyes of a child?

The exit to Waitomo Caves. Will sat on me the entire journey on the boat, but loudly proclaimed his bravery as we walked back up the ravine. Image supplied.

Pretty bloody fantastic, quite frankly.

1: Waitomo glow worm caves

Being four and a half and possessing a healthy fear of the dark, Waitomo Caves were a challenge for my son. But sitting on a boat, floating along a river in the middle of a cave staring with wonder at the millions of tiny green dots of the glow worms was well worth it. And the declaration that, “I was so brave, Mummy,” made the whole thing pretty delightful.

2: Rotorua

The somewhat pungent resort town of Rotorua has a lot offer small people and big people alike. I highly recommend the Tamaki Maori Village, which includes a traditional Maori welcome ceremony, education experience, and hangi feast, and the opportunity to witness small children losing their minds trying to learn the haka.

The mud pools and geysers at the thermal park are very interesting. The Rainbow Springs wildlife park has a kiwi sanctuary and a roller coaster, which I know is a strange combination. It works though. But I strongly recommend you take the Skyline Gondola up Mount Ngongotaha. The all year round luge is fantastic. I mean it’s good fun for everyone, but it’s especially good if your kids are old enough for you to let them enjoy it independently while you pop next door for the wine tasting at the Volcanic Hills Winery.

You can't go to New Zealand without seeing some sheep. Image supplied

Squeezing everything at Rotorua into a short couple of days is pretty tiring especially for the small people, but that’s nothing that a bit of sugar won’t fix late in the afternoon, if you know what I mean.

3: Hobbiton

Okay, I’m not a Tolkien fan. I’m sorry. I know that’s a very big deal to some people. But The Hobbit (and especially The Lord of the Rings) is just not for me. But that aside, Hobbiton is a super fun outing for a morning.

You’ll find Hobbiton just outside Matamata on a farm that is in fact still a working farm around a film set.

There are many many hobbit holes, lots of props (still in place) from the movies and there’s a full on working pub in the village (you know the one, the one that all the Tolkien fans are killing themselves over that I can’t remember what it’s called) where you can get a beer. It’s bloody good beer too. My favourite thing about Hobbiton though was the adorable picture opportunities for little people in perfectly sized little people houses.

I know, this is the sweetest thing imaginable, right? Image supplied.

4: AAT Kings New Zealand Family Shindig

William and I travelled courtesy of AAT Kings. They have a new range of tours under the moniker ‘Family Shindig’. The idea behind the tours is that when families travel there should be stuff for the kids to do that the adults will also get something out of. It sounds really simple when you say out loud, and you can’t help wonder why someone clever hasn’t thought of this before.

But, for example, when you arrive in Auckland, the first thing you do after you check in is head over to the aquarium for an after hours private tour. The aquarium shut the front doors behind the tour group, meaning that the kids are free to play around the aquarium as much as they choose.

Meanwhile there’s wine and canapes for the parents. It’s absolute genius. I’ll never forget watching my little boy star with wonder at the sharks in the tank before wildly running back to the penguins with his new friends, all the while I drink a Marlborough Sauv Blanc and meet our tour mates.

This is family holidaying done right.

Alys Gagnon travelled on AAT Kings New Zealand Family Shindig (www.aatkings.com/shindig , 1300 228 546 or see your Flight Centre travel agent). AAT Kings in partnership with Flight Centre offer a 5 day New Zealand Family Shindig from $1,212 per person for a family package (two adults and two children) with departure dates scheduled to coincide with school holidays. This family friendly itinerary has lot of exclusive holiday highlights including a fun and interactive session with a Maori warrior, a visit to Rainbow Springs to learn about Kiwi birds and a dress-up experience at Hobbiton™ Movie Set.