Home > Our Publications > New Zealand Outlook > 2004 > February

THERE'S plenty to do for families visiting Hawke's Bay Wine Country, from swimming with the dolphins at Marineland, to sliding and riding on more than 15 rides and attractions at Splash Planet in Hastings.
The welcoming sunshine is perfect for outdoor activities and those based around water.
The new Ocean Spa water complex in Napier is great for children and adults alike with a family friendly cafe that overlooks the ocean. Be sure not to miss the playground further along Marine Parade.
Jungle Junction in the seaside superb of Ahuriri is a safe indoor multi-level playland for children up to the age of 10.
Opossum World is an interactive and educational experience, which tells the story about how New Zealand's opossum population eats through 21,000 tonnes of foliage each night!
Other attractions include the Hawke's Bay Museum, which provides an interactive experience of Hawke's Bay's history. The National Aquarium of New Zealand, at the southern end of Marine Parade, is a modern complex, hard to miss with the building shaped like a stingray.
The aquarium has two major tanks - the reef tank and the ocean tank filled with an array of exciting sea life. At set times during the day divers enter both tanks to hand feed the fish.
The old Napier Prison tour is worth a look, as is the Seahorse Farm which has over 30,000 seahorses and many other species. Te Mata Peak, high above Havelock North, with views across Hawke's Bay should be high on any family's 'must do' list.
While in Havelock North, visit Arataki Honey, one of the world's major bee keeping operations with over 17,000 hives.