Child Friendly Outings
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12473
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Topic: Child Friendly Outings
Posted By: Maya
Subject: Child Friendly Outings
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 10:38am
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By request, a spot to rave about child friendly venues (and not so child friendly ones!) -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Replies:
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 10:39am
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I'll start, we love Butterfly Creek. Even if you don't go to see the Butterflies or the farm, the cafe has reasonably priced, decent food, there is plenty of room for sitting, and there is a playground in sight of the cafe so you can sit and have coffee while the kids play in the playground. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 10:39am
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Not so impressed with Ark Cafe. They tout themselves as being kid friendly, and they are, but the food is overpriced and nothing spectacular. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 10:55am
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I like Butterfly Creek although have to remember you need to strip of if you go and see the Butterflies.
I am also quite impressed with Scrummy Mummies cafe here in Christchurch James seems to like the play area so thats why it gets my vote the bad thing about it is the service seems to be quite slow some times. Haven't really come across a bad place yet. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 10:58am
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Hamner Springs Cafe, they didn't help my mum get the buggy in or out the cafe and were quite rude when Spencer started crying whilst she was queing. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 11:08am
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Marshlands Garden Centre Cafe. Always very friendly, lovely organic food reasonably priced. Only downside is no change table, but we always manage.
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 11:10am
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Farm Barn Cafe (halfway between Geraldine and lake tekapo). Very friendly, and they unlocked a lovely brand new change area for babies for me to use. Fantastic views and great food as well. -------------
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Posted By: Kels
Date Posted: 23 November 2007 at 4:28pm
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Defintely not a fan of Ark cafe, very very over priced and nothing to really suit kids on their menu. They dont have an enclosed area for crawlers and toddlers and we couldnt even get our prams in ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Busy mum to Miss 15yrs, Miss 10yrs and Master 4yrs |
Oh and they cover on of there 6 carparks with a huge rubbish bin
In other words the parking suxs there tooPosted By: Jennz
Date Posted: 24 November 2007 at 2:24am
I always found the Remuera Kings Plant Barn on Orakei Rd good. My parents centre coffee group used to meet up there sometimes and it was always comfortable and baby friendly 
ETA: Just to clarify I mean the coffee shop inside the Garden Centre. ------------- Jen, Charlotte 7 & Kate 3 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 24 November 2007 at 8:07am
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i like the ark...
hubby and i went for brekkie with the kids once and we got to sit and eat and not to worry about the kids cause they were enamoured of the car. they didnt want to eat cause they were too busy so we saved money there. i think it is better for older kids, they have the colouring in stuff at the water table and they supply sipper cups as well as adult cups. but yeah the parking sux big time! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 24 November 2007 at 8:43am
| We took the kids to the China Inn in Palmerston and while there was nothing fantastic about the facilities (ladies - no high chairs) - they were quite good about the kids running riot - and belive me - they were NUTS! the china innn staff were really indulgent of them |
Posted By: Two Blondinis
Date Posted: 24 November 2007 at 10:32pm
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We love Butterfly Creek too - very toddler friendly
I also have to rave about my local cafe (local to work) The Servo on Te Atatu Peninsula is fantastic!!! Yes the prices are "city prices" but you're getting City quality food that has received so many top reviews! They are more than happy to let 8 or more mothers all with strollers take over their outside area for the best part of the day even though they only ordered a coffee each and a few lunches 
They even have a play pen inside for those needing confinement  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 24 November 2007 at 10:43pm
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ooohh, yes butterfly creek. My fave place to take the boys and have coffee.. a friend and i quite often meet up there after lunch and the boys sometimes get the playground all to their selves... only problem is gabriel loves the train and really wants to ride it every time.
i remember taking him as a baby with hubby for brekkie and they were great then too - gave us a banana for him and didnt even charge us... they have high chairs and smaller size meals too. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 24 November 2007 at 11:09pm
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You have to strip off to see the butterflies??????
I love the public library in Palmy. It's an awesome place to hang out with the kids. There are puzzles and books (of course), beads and even a slide and heaps and heaps of room so that they can make whatever noise they like and no one minds!!!  ------------- |
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 24 November 2007 at 11:36pm
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Yes Teresa, don't you know how good butterflies feel on your bare skin?
Its really hot and damp in the butterfly house, can get a bit overwhelming if you've got too many layers on. We love butterfly creek too! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 25 November 2007 at 9:44am
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The South Library in Beckenham is very baby and child friendly but the cafe is overpriced. However there are lots of places to sit and chat (its not a shhhh quiet library) and they have a baby time session on Tues mornings.
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 25 November 2007 at 9:45am
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South City Mall's baby room is APPAULING!!!!!
I wanted to feed Tom so went looking for a parents room. All I could find was a baby change room. It is ONE room that has toilet at one end, microwave at the other!!!! In between is a bench and grotty change table. I was so disgusted that I fed him in the food court. 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 25 November 2007 at 10:05am
ewwwww That is gross -------------
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nzpiper wrote:Posted By: ShellandBella
Date Posted: 25 November 2007 at 12:05pm
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Alchemy Cafe (aka Macmillan's Ceramics as it also sells a lovely range of ceramics, art work, clothes and other arty-crafty stuff), 92 Bateup Road, Richmond, NELSON
http://www.thetaste.co.nz/tasman-bay.html#alchemy - Alchemy Cafe VERY child friendly - play area for the kids and change area for babies. Beautiful semi-rural setting, great food, average prices. Indoor-outdoor flow, lots of parking. Highly recommend if you're in these neck of the woods!  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 25 November 2007 at 5:03pm
Just take layers off it's really humid and warm in there your get very sweaty. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: Two Blondinis
Date Posted: 14 January 2008 at 10:16pm
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We went to Butterfly Creek this weekend and whilst I blinked Miss Houdini ran off from the playground and we found her down by the train! Most terryfing moment of my whole life!!!!
I totally admit that I should have been watching her with the eyes I have in the back of my head, but I emailed the Manager this morning to ask why there wasn't a gate to stop kids getting down there on their own and their reply was "we USED to have a pool gate there but because it was in constant use it was impractical to expect it to work constantly, it has now been removed awaiting repairs" OMFG!!!!!!!!! It would also be impractical if my daughter got run over by a train! 
I suggested that they might want to invest in a sturdy wooden hinged gate exactly the same as the one leading to the farm that keeps the animals in! I'm sure that would have equal amount of use and was working and locking perfectly fine! **scared mummy rant over** ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 14 January 2008 at 11:55pm
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In Palmy i have to say Memorial park. In the summer it is great there is a little pool that babies can swim in and there is a deeper pool that older children can swim in. It is all inclosed with a fence and gates. The 2 pools are seperated by some bars so babies can't get into the bigger pool so easy. The playground is great Andrew had a ball playing there. And well the Esplanade in Palmy is great. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Jennz
Date Posted: 15 January 2008 at 12:37am
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I used to love going to Memorial park as a kid! Do they still have the big outdoor skating rink? ------------- Jen, Charlotte 7 & Kate 3
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Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 15 January 2008 at 10:13am
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OMG me too, dejavu on the skating rink!
Toni, WTF is with removing a safety gate and not putting something there in the meantime?! That is shocking when there are so many little kids there! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and:
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Posted By: McPloppy
Date Posted: 12 February 2008 at 12:55pm
| I really like Vavoom in Parklands Christchurch. Great healthy selection of food for the children and the library is just next door. |
Posted By: Neeks
Date Posted: 17 February 2008 at 1:35pm
OMG I LOVED both Memorial Park & The Esplanade as a kid you just gotta love that little train.. and the outdoor skating rink (is that still there?)!! My Nannie (grandmother - RIP  ) & lived in Palmy (Terrace End) and we used to spend most holidays there -------------  
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 17 February 2008 at 1:44pm
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I'm not sure the the rink is still there i'll have a look next time we go there. The train now has a very long track that the PD boys made. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Neeks
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 4:52pm
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Last time I went on that train my nephew was 4 (now 12) HA, time flies when you're having fun -------------
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Posted By: aussiemum
Date Posted: 21 March 2008 at 4:48pm
| Just wondering if anyone's been to Scrummy Mummies in Papanui ChCh? |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 21 March 2008 at 5:17pm
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aussie mum..we used to meet there for OHBABY meetups. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 01 April 2008 at 1:23pm
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The Jan/Feb 08 Auckland girls just went to BANG BANG cafe in Ponsonby on Saturday and it was fab! (Thanks lilfatty for finding it).
It has one side of the menu just for toddler/children food and one side for adults. Heaps of room between tables to move a buggy through and a 'cage' (playpen) at the back for the mobile babies. Coffee was great too (even though I had to have decaf soy *sigh*) -------------  
 
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Posted By: Kim
Date Posted: 01 April 2008 at 2:11pm
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Yesterday we went to the Library Cafe, 55 Princes St, Onehunga which was really good. A little playground out the back for big kids, a play corner for the little ones and a great menu for everyone. They even do organic purees for babies...totally recommend it. ------------- Zac Mark - 30.11.05 Samara Ailsa - 13.08.07 |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 29 April 2008 at 3:23pm
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i went to frolic today on manukau rd and wanted to say how great it was for the kids too...
they were greeted at the door personally by one of the wait staff and she was really nice and friendly to them as well as me... they were kept entertained and the fluffies came with marshmallows and were a decent size too. Well done frolic!!!! (may even start a separate post re this...in case not everyone sees this.) ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Mumandloveit
Date Posted: 10 May 2008 at 12:31am
| Another great child friendly cafe in Auckland is a Spoonful of Sugar in Ponsonby. It has a child menu and also a childrens playroom which is staffed with two fully trained nannies. For $5 your children can play in the playroom while you eat and you can watch them on a huge screen mounted on the wall while you eat. The staff are great and there is heaps for the kids to do. Books / puzzles / blocks artwork etc. My kids love it there. |
Posted By: Phat_Cat
Date Posted: 16 June 2008 at 4:50pm
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wow that does sound flash lol (spoonful of sugar) One day I want to go to butterfly creek. In warkworth - well matakana really is the country park. Its manily for older children (the playground) but has different things ie a pirate ship, buzzy bee, castle etc The animal side is great too the cafe makes yummy hot choclates but is very pricey food wise. ------------- Tristen - 24/06/07 Rylan - 11/12/08 Angel Babies -14/08/05 & 21/01/2010 Curtis - 26/02/12 |
Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 16 June 2008 at 5:30pm
This place has become my local!! I love it there, it can get crowded with mums and bubs but I think thats what makes it so great. Oh and their Caramel Slice - TDF!! ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: Kim
Date Posted: 16 June 2008 at 10:00pm
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We will have to do a meet up there Mel! ------------- Zac Mark - 30.11.05 Samara Ailsa - 13.08.07 |
Posted By: ruthiesharr
Date Posted: 19 August 2008 at 10:47am
| Scrummy mummies in Chch is great, however I heard a rumour that it has closed. Is this true? Bad news. |
Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 19 August 2008 at 2:02pm
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Bambinos in Cambridge is awesome, great prices and heaps of choices for kids of all ages on the menu, as well as heaps for them to do. Only thing is that if they go off to play in the ball room or the other play room you can't see them from the eating area, but there's heaps for them to do in that area anyway.
Lilypad cafe just out of Cambridge also impressed me. They had a seperate laminated mini-menu that they gave to DD1 so she could order like the grownups and a neat outside play area. Lovely staff too. Most recently Grey Street Kitchen in Hamilton East has a pretty good kids section on their menu and they were really helpful, asked if I needed a high chair and set it all up for me. A bit expensive though, but lovely food. ------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: Berg19
Date Posted: 02 September 2009 at 9:46am
Any places anybody knows of in wellington?? Im looking for a cafe/restaurant to have my baby shower, and thinking thinking i'll def need somewhere child friendly to put up with us!  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: mummytobesep08
Date Posted: 07 February 2010 at 5:52pm
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in south christchurch the new Coffee Culture on corner tennyson and colombo st has an absolutely awesome kids corner with lots of toys for different ages, highchairs and a table to fit 3 or 4 mums- plus they do free fluffies and the staff are really good about the kids and don't mind the mess!
We've also found the park at Barrington park- next to barrington mall and behind the spreydon library- is really great for littlies as the playground is has lots to do and it's all toddler size ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
Angel babes '07 & '10- <3 <3 |
Posted By: kobec
Date Posted: 01 August 2010 at 6:37pm
| Grinds in Tauranga has the best kid place ever. Has a whole kids room filled with toys and is really big as it gets really busy. Amazing food and very reasonably priced. It's opposite farners in 1st avenue.... |
Posted By: weeheebaby
Date Posted: 20 September 2010 at 4:24pm
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Bededicts Cafe in Maungaraki, Lower Hutt (on the major road through Maugaraki, in with the shops) os great for kids, massive play area.
Shortstraw Cafe in Whiteman's Valley (inland behind Silverstream), Upper Hutt is very kid friendly, better on a sunny day than wet but still ok in the wet (indoor play area) as well as high chairs etc. Has seperate room for parties etc (which are themed but I don't know about price etc). Mayfair Cafe in Upper Hutt is BF friendly but not so good for a group of toddlers, ok for one or two. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Deb-Amy -H
Date Posted: 24 March 2011 at 10:14pm
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Matakana Patisserie is pretty good - outdoor area for kids to play in away from the road, change table etc.
Anyone know of a good place on the North Shore (Auckland)? |
Posted By: KatzWtgn
Date Posted: 29 March 2011 at 12:01am
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Maybe a bit far north, but the devonshire tea place in Puhoi is really good. Most of the tables are on the lawn, and I've only been there on a fine day (so not sure what it would be like inside). They were really friendly and even have rabbits in hutches down at the bottom of the garden that DS loved feeding bits of grass to. ------------- [IMG]http://lb3f.lilypie.com/rGG7p13.png] |
Posted By: Mrs Mac
Date Posted: 10 January 2013 at 8:53pm
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In Manukau there's a Mums Cafe every Tuesday during the school term at Manukau City Baptist. They have heaps of toys etc. for kids and some older ladies to watch them, good coffee, and coffee and cake for $5. I go every week! -------------   Jan '13
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