The Botanic Gardens playground

The Christchurch Botanic Gardens playground is CLASSIC. I have photos of myself, aged 3 years old, playing happily there. It is practically a Christchurch institution.

These days the playground is a bit safer than it used to be - heaps of sturdy plastic equipment, plenty of soft mats to fall on, and NO roundabouts (have you noticed that every playground in Christchurch is slowly but surely becoming roundabout bereft? Not that I'm particularly upset, as I've spent many a worrying moment watching toddlers attempt to board a speeding one). But the playground STILL has the wonderful toddler pools and is still situated in a gorgeous and central part of town.



The good things:

• The pools. There are two pools - one bigger and deeper for the older children (it's about 70 or 80cm at its deepest, at my guess) and a smaller shallower one for the babies and toddlers (about 10 or 20cm deep). These are only filled in the summertime, so remember to bring your togs on those hot nor'wester days!


• The equipment. There are two areas - one specifically aimed at toddlers, which is handy as you don't end up getting your just-walking one year old knocked over by rambunctious eight year olds, and the other is a general play area with the usual swings, slides and monkey bars.


• The Botanic Gardens in the centre of the city - you're right there. It's a lovely setting and SO easy to wander off with the kids on a nature walk.


• The ice-cream shop attached to the kiosk.


• The places to sit and have a picnic - plenty of seating around the place and heaps of grassed areas to lay out a picnic rug.


• The toilets - only a short walk away.


• Car parking - plenty of free carparks in Hagley Park - take the Armagh Street/Rolleston Ave entrance.


• For those with disabled children, there is also a special wheelchair friendly swing - I've never seen it being used but at least it's there.


• The ducks from the nearby Avon River. Remember to take some bread! The kids LOVE feeding the ducks, and in spring you have the added bonus of ducklings.

The bad things:

• The ducks. Don't feed them IN the playground area if you can help it, as they end up pooing all the over the place. Watch where you sit.


• In the winter try to avoid the playground before about 11am, or else you'll find all the equipment is covered in dew. It's a bit tragic to have upset kids wondering why their backsides are wet when the sun is shining.

This place is really popular during weekday mornings with mothers' groups, as the preschoolers have the run of the place while the older kids are at school. Bring your own thermos of coffee or buy a cappuccino and a slice at the nearby kiosk cafe - even better on a cold winter's morning as they have an open fire.

Make sure you take the time to stand on the footbridge leading to the carpark and look for trout and eels in the river below. And if you have an extra ten minutes walk the 100m or so over to Victoria Lake and watch the old men playing with their remote control yachts - the kids love this!

THE LOWDOWN:

Cost: Free!

Location: Botanical Gardens, in Hagley Park. Either walk through the gardens going West from the Museum entrance, or drive into the Armagh Street entrance and park in the carpark and then head over the footbridge - the playground is just there.

Hours: The gates are open during daylight hours.

Suitable for: Everyone!

Allow: as much time as you have - half an hour is okay, but three hours and a picnic is better.

Swimming at the CCC pools

Swimming - perfect for those hot sunny days when you just need to cool off, but also great for those cold winter days when the thought of a hot spa and sauna makes your toes tingle with anticipation.

Christchurch has plenty of great pools, but I'm only going to write about the ones I go to regularly - QE2, Centennial and Pioneer.

My favourite is DEFINITELY QE2. It is amazing value for money!

There's the 50m lap pool. The diving pool. The preschooler's pool. And then there's the main leisure pool, complete with Pirate Ship (with nice little water slides perfect for the little kids), lazy river (with crazy whirlpools), and REAL LIVE WAVES every half hour or so (my kids' eyes nearly popped out of their heads when the waves first started on our first visit - they'd never had so much fun!).

And then there's the spa pools, the sauna and the steam room. Mmmmmm.

Oh, and did I mention the hydroslides? These have a minimum age limit (not entirely sure what it is) and you have to pay extra, but from what my nieces and nephews say, they're well worth the cost. (I haven't yet had the chance to experience the hydroslides, but that's because my kids are too young to leave them unattended!).

Anyway, so QE2. Crazily good value. Myself, my 5 year old and my 4 year old get in for $5. Yes, you heard me right. $5 for ALL THREE OF US.

Of course, if I were to go all by myself it'd cost about $5 as well. But then at least I'd get to actually go into the lap pool, do a few laps, then chill out in the spa, sauna and steam rooms without having to keep eagle eyes on my two little ones.

The only con I can think of with QE2 is the location - WAY out in deepest darkest... ummmm, what is it? Burwood? North Brighton? Queenspark? One of those Northern suburbs anyway.


So, if you're stuck in town, without transport, then head to the Centennial!

It's right in the central city, and it also has a kid's pool (with lazy river), a lap pool, a spa, a sauna and a steam room. Again, such good value and only five minutes walk from Cathedral Square.

The only "con" with the Centennial is that, being in the central city, you have to pay for parking.


And if you're out in the southern suburbs? Then the Pioneer's the place for you. The facilities are pretty much the same as the Centennial, but the parking is FREE (as is QE2, in case you hadn't realised).



There are heaps more pools in Christchurch, including some outdoor ones, but these are the ones we like to go to.

As I have both a boy and a girl, another bonus is the family changing rooms in these places. My 5 year old son is telling me that NO WAY is he going to be getting buck naked in the GIRLS' changing rooms anymore (fair enough), and NO WAY am I letting him go to the BOYS' changing rooms all by himself. So these wee private family changing rooms (complete with private shower) are a godsend. All the CCC pools have them.

Oh, and if you're that way inclined, these pools all have gyms associated with them and they do awesome packages that include unlimited pool and gym use. Great value!


THE LOWDOWN:

Cost:
Adults $5, Child $2.50, Parent with preschooler $2.50 (so it's cheaper for you to go with your little one than to go by yourself!). There are plenty of other prices so check the website for info.

Hours:
Generally between 7am and 8pm.

Location:
Check the website!

Suitable for:
EVERYONE!

Allow:
A couple of hours - or at least until your fingers and toes have gone pruney.


My rating: 9 out of 10