Science Alive!

I have to admit that the first time I went to Science Alive was about a week after it first opened, way back in the early 1990s. I was working in the building next door and so got a freebie. It was okay, but I didn't consider it anything to rave about.

But now, I've got kids and they were begging me to take them to Science Alive. Thinking it would be kind of expensive, I finally gave in and off we went. And WOW! Seriously, it was worth the $37 admission (1 adult, 2 school aged kids) and has got bigger and better! We've now been twice in six months.

Firstly, don't go there unless you've got a minimum of about 2 or 3 hours to spare. The pass is an all-day ticket, so you can come and go as you want all day - this is great if you want to pop out for lunch, or even go and see a movie at the Hoyts cinema next door.

Secondly, it's really aimed at school aged and older kids, but there is actually quite an awesome preschoolers/parents' chill out room (complete with magazines to read) -and thankfully anyone can go in there, as my kids love checking out the real bee hive, the turtle, and other goodies. You do have to pay for your preschoolers, but the price is kept low (and under 2s are free - yay!).

Thirdly, book in for the rock climbing wall - as long as your kids are about four or five or older (I think there's a height limit) then they can do this half hour workshop. Great fun!

Fourth, try to see the daily show that is put on. We've now been to two - one was about the human body, which was slightly boring but at least it was projected onto the inside of an inflatable dome (which was cool!); the second one was about liquid nitrogen, and was absolutely fascinating!

Right, so you're in there, take your time and look around. On the ground floor there is a scary slide, a gyoscope, the rock climbing wall, and the earthquake house (especially fun after Christchurch's recent big shake! For the record, I reckon our 7.1 was somewhere between the "moderate" and "large" on their scale). The preschooler's room is also there, plus heaps of hands on exhibits to play with. I particularly like the giant satellite dishes at either end of the room - stand at one, send your kid to the other, and you can whisper into the dish and hear the other person incredibly clearly.

DON'T FORGET TO GO DOWNSTAIRS!

There are three more awesome rooms down there!

Firstly, have a play on the magic harp.



Then check out the mini golf (in total blackness except for an ultraviolet light and fluoro balls and holes). There are two other rooms with great hands on exhibits and brainteasers. Don't forget to check out the giant kaleidoscope - it's not often you get to see yourself reflected in millions of mirrors!

And my current fave exhibit is the phosphorescent wall - stand in front of the wall, turn on the strobe lights, wait five seconds, then walk away. YOUR SHADOW STAYS ON THE WALL!

The exhibitions change every three to six months, so there is always something new and interesting to see. They also do birthday parties!



Where: In the Hoyts 8 building on Moorhouse Ave (the old railway station) so park around the back in the free carpark.
392 Moorhouse Avenue
Christchurch
Phone 03 365 5199

Cost:

Adults: $15

Kids: $11

And there's actually a whole range of other various prices for unaccompanied kids, parents with preschoolers, family passes, etc etc, so check out their website!

Hours:

10am til 5pm daily.

http://www.sciencealive.co.nz/

Westburn Bike Park

This is one of those hidden secrets - not a lot of Christchurch people seem to know about it. We discovered it quite by accident when friends of ours told us about it.

Westburn Park is an average suburban playground but with a difference - it has a mini road system set up for kids. There are roundabouts, Give Way and Stop signs, a railroad crossing, pedestrian crossings, one way bridges, etc.



The kids LOVE this place. They could happily spend a couple of hours here, mostly riding their bikes around, but also taking turns at being pedestrians on the little footpaths, or just going and playing on the playground equipment.

It's aimed at kids aged up to about 8 years old.



Where: Westburn Terrace in Burnside. It runs between Greers and Grahams Road, on the south side of Memorial Ave. If you prefer, there is an alleyway to the park from Memorial Ave, opposite Burnside High.

Facilities: Toilets, drinking fountain, playground equipment, shady trees to sit under and a couple of park benches.

Travis Wetlands

It was a nice sunny day so we thought we'd take a walk around the Travis Wetlands.

We'd never been before, but had seen a city council brochure so thought it sounded interesting. My seven year old boy is mad about wildlife so was hoping to see something exciting.

The verdict? Yeah, it was okay. A pleasant walk.

It took us (one adult and two kids, aged 6 and 7) about an hour and a half to walk around the whole circuit. They were pretty tired at the end.

We went clockwise from the main carpark, and one of the first things you come to is a viewing hide, which was kind of cool.

We didn't see any particularly exciting birds, but there were plenty of ducks, a few geese, and lots of pukekos (which were pretty good as far as the kids were concerned). Oh yeah, we saw some hawks (harriers?) so that was cool.

Three quarters of the way around there is a tall viewing deck that you climb up to. Again, nothing really to see but lots of flaxes and rushes.

All in all, yeah, it was a pleasant walk and gave us some good exercise. Don't expect to see heaps of amazing wildlife, although you may strike it lucky (as apparently there are up to 55 different types of birds).

Take drink bottles as it can get pretty hot - there's not a lot of shade. The track is fine for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Where: The corner of Travis Road and Frosts Road, out by QE2. There's a carpark off Frosts Road, up by Beach Road.

Cost: Free.

Website for maps and more info - click here.

Children's theatre

Every school holidays we are lucky in Christchurch to be able to take the kids to the theatre for a reasonably price.

The Court Theatre, The Mill, and The Malthouse all hold regular school holiday performances. Prices are good - usually around $7 or $8 per ticket.

The Court Theatre is in the Arts Centre in town, and the actors are professionals, which usually makes for a great show.

The Mill is in Wise Street, off Lincoln Road in Addington, and the shows are usually of a good standard.

The Malthouse is at the South end of Colombo Street, and the actors are often teenagers doing drama courses, so the quality is a bit more amateur. It's called "cushion theatre", as everyone sits on the floor with a cushion (BYO, although I think some are provided).


The Court Theatre shows are good for kids aged 3 til around 9 years old. The Mill's Playbox is best for the 1 to 5 year olds and the Malthouse is similar. Most of the shows only run for 45 minutes to an hour, so aren't too long for the little ones and their little attention spans!

Check out the theatre's websites for details of current shows and booking details.

Ghost Walk at the Arts Centre

Did you know that Christchurch has its very own Ghost Walk? No? Well, you do now.

For $20 you can join a small group, hosted by "Dr Aloysius Mort", and take in the hidden secrets of the neo-gothic Arts Centre at night.

Being as the Ghost Walk is put on by the Court Theatre, a part of you KNOWS that the ghosts aren't really real, it's all a big show... but ooooh! It's actually really quite creepy, although I think that the suspense and drama of the event is more to blame for us jumping at our own shadows than any real ghosts!

You learn a huge amount of history (true? embellished? I'm not sure) about the Arts Centre and you get to go "behind the scenes" into places that the general public usually don't get to see.

NOT recommended for children - teenagers would probably be fine though. There is a fair amount of walking up and down winding staircases, so it's not so good for people with mobility problems.

Like any show that involves a small group of participants, the type of group you end up with on the night can make or break your experience. On the night I went I was lucky - we had a nice group of around 8 people, and they were all very excitable and squealed loudly at times, which ramped the suspense and excitability levels up for the rest of us. A friend went on a different night - they were in a larger group of about 15 people, with a couple of boorish sceptics who spent the whole time muttering loudly about how this is all made up and wasn't really real. Grrrrr! (Well, why the hell did you waste your $20 and spoil it for the rest of us!?)

For something different, a Ghost Walk is really very cool.


Book at the Court Theatre website, or you can phone them on 963 0870. You can also book through the i-Site Visitor's Centre in Cathedral Square. Tours take about 1 hour 20 mins, and run on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday nights - 8.01pm in winter, 9.01pm in summer.