Looking for a fun family activity that’s unique and exciting? Have fun in the snow all year round at New Zealand’s only indoor snow park – Snowplanet!
Enjoy the snow 365 days a year with over 8,000 square metres of real snow. There’s plenty of room for skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, and all the fun of playng in the snow. When you want a break from the slopes, relax and recharge in the on-site restaurant with a view of the snow.
If you’re new to snow sports, skilled instructors are available to get you out on the snow.
Snowplanet is a great day out for families so we asked Jacque and her family to head on down for some snowy fun and share her day with us.
Family day out at Snowplanet
Recently we were lucky enough to visit Snowplanet! We took our 8-year-old (who’s going on 9) and 2.5-year-old. En-route, there was clear signage, which I appreciated. We arrived at about 14:30, to a fullish but adequate parking lot, but were able to find a close parking space.
The kids loved the outside décor, including the little skiing characters on top of the bollards and the benches made from ski-boards which were a really nice touch. Inside there were more quirky items, which tied in with the whole theme of the place (and was great for some photos).
Getting set up
We were unsure what to expect, so we were well-dressed and warm. There were items for rent and sale, if required. These were also reasonably priced.
There was a smallish queue to get through to get to the cashiers, but it moved reasonably quickly (plus there was a TV explaining some items to us), and within a few minutes, we were greeted by a warm, friendly face and helped quickly and professionally.
Once we had acquired our tickets, the next stage was explained to us – head through the foyer into the equipment area. Despite there being four tables and helpful staff, the wait was a bit longish (it was fairly busy though and it was a weekend). We got our boots and despite having to return twice due to wrong sizes, we never felt like we were judged or an inconvenience to the staff.
A snowy adventure
Once fully kitted, we headed through the door for our little adventure!
There’s a little section prior to the actual snow area that we went through, where you begin to feel the cold and as the doors open to the snow zone, you feel the sudden rush of brisk coolness.
We struggled at first to find our snow feet, but it wasn’t long before we were walking around like we had been raised in the snow! The first thing the kids did was reach down to feel the cold snow between their fingers (and of course start launching snowballs). Upon entering the snow zone, we noticed ski lifts on either side of the setup. Riding these would take you all the way to the top, for the most experienced skiers. The middle has a magic carpet (travel escalator). This takes you to the middle section – for the beginner skiers, the toboggans (although we saw none of these) and the tubes. In case you are wondering how cold the area is or how much time you have left, there is a big digital gauge/clock, right above the entrance.
Experience a Winter Wonderland
Between the tubes and the travel escalator is a section entitled, Winter Wonderland. Winter Wonderland was right up Mr 2’s alley. There was a lot for him to do plus frames and lights to take photos with. There were slides and an igloo for climbing and a little slide inside a house, both of which brought out some smiles and laughter. There was also a bench halfway through, for just sitting and watching the whānau. In Winter Wonderland there was also a smaller section for the younger one to slide down, either with a tube or a sled. This caused non-stop fun for the littlest one!
Mr 8 (going on 9) loved the bigger tube slides, literally being on them for the duration of our stay. Between racing with his dad and mom, or just going down, he really had a blast. There was hardly any wait at the top of the tube slopes, which allowed us to get more slides in. The speed was enough for a bit of a thrill, but not so much that it would terrify one. We also let the kids make snow angels and explore the space and enjoy it.
Friendly and helpful staff
We noticed staff members just around making sure that everyone is safe and doing the correct things. It was refreshing to see young people doing their jobs, as well as looking like they are happy to be there. Atop the travel escalator, we encountered a few staff and all of them gave us a friendly smile. At one point, on the magic carpet, we spoke to Oliver (who was helpful and friendly) about lessons, and he mentioned some staff that were excellent to get beginner lessons from (Helena, Georgia and Thomās). It was nice to know that he knew his colleagues and was able to give honest recommendations. We also noticed a lot of signage around safety and dos and dont’s.
When we were finally able to pull the kids from the snow, tubes, and the fun, we went back to the equipment section and placed our helmets and boots in their respectful areas (which was well-marked and neat and clean).
People watching from the restaurant
Before heading off, we needed toilet breaks, so we went to the bathrooms closest to the entrance. The wooden log cabin feel of them is quite cool, they were also clean and well-maintained. The only drawback of these bathrooms was a lack of nappy facilities for the little one (there is one hidden at the equipment side).
We also scoped out the restaurant, which had a nice view of the entire slope, one can get quite mesmerised watching all the people sking. The menu looked quite varied and reasonably priced. We settled for coffees for the adults and slushies for the little ones.
When we left, the kids were really excited about how amazing their day was, they even want us to go through again, and soon!
Reviewers were provided with a family pass to Snowplanet for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers.
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