The school holidays will kick off tomorrow and travellers will launch onto the roads and skies, looking to find some fun in domestic travel.

It’s expected to be a busy period, as numbers from Air NZ have shown that half a million New Zealanders booked to travel domestically throughout the school holidays, from July 1 to July 16.

The North Island has plenty of fun to offer holidaying families, as well as plenty of events to mark the rise of the Matariki star cluster. We’ve broken down some of the events and hot spots to visit throughout the North Island which will please those off on a family holiday.

Whangārei

Head to an ice-rink

Semenoff Stadium is currently hosting a pop-up ice rink in the middle of Whangārei and running the icy excursion right until the end of the school holidays. Skate hire is included with the admission and there is also the option to hire out a frame if you’re a little less confident on the ice. There are a bunch of family packages available, along with the usual tickets.

Attend the Night Lights Festival

Fancy an outdoor wander? An exhibition showcasing the works of local Northland artists who specialise in digital media, light projection, soundscapes, immersive experiences and light displays might do the trick. The Whangārei Night Lights Festival showcases a creative outdoor display, along with performances including fire spinning, circus and dance. The festival starts on July 5 and ends on July 8, and is open to explore from 6 to 9pm.

See a series of movies (for free!)

The Capitaine Bougainville Theatre is set to screen a series of movies for free during the last week of the school holidays, bringing some significant NZ stories to the big screen. Whina, the 2022 film that chronicles the life of Dame Whina Cooper, will show on July 12 at 6.30pm. The Lion King in Te Reo will play on July 15 at 11am. Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Taika Waititi’s adventure comedy-drama, will play at 2pm on July 15.

Tomb of Sennedjem (replica) from Auckland Museum's Ancient Egypt exhibition. Photo / MuseumsPartner

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Check out the Matariki Festival

The festivities for Matariki in Auckland are being marked in a number of diverse ways and the Matariki Festival offers a comprehensive guide. The events listed within the festival include Ngā Whetū, an art exhibition in Henderson, Te Tomokanga ki te Pō, a light installation in Silo Park, which will be celebrated with a full day of festivities and Marae in the Sky, a dance performance by Taane Mete (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Korokī Kahukura) which will take place at the Auckland Art Gallery.

Head to Auckland Museum

Ever the reliable location for thought-provoking wandering, the Auckland Museum is currently hosting a diverse range of exhibitions.

Curator of archaeology, Josh Emmit has shared insights into the newest arrival, Egypt: In the Time of Pharaohs which sees some pieces that are more than 4500 years old.

Double Trouble pairs Peter and Barbara, two T. rex skeletons, in lockstep. The black skeletons sit in the Te Ao Mārama South Atrium, with interactive panels and a phone-based Augmented Reality experience, perfect for the dino-obsessed family members.

The museum will also mark Matariki with festive exterior lighting, an inner-museum education trail and various exhibitions and performances.

Kirikiriroa Hamilton

See a show

Riverlea Theatre will present a performance of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox over the school holidays, following the story of a sneaky, witty fox who’s looking to land a feast. However, to get to his treats, he needs to get past three farmers - chaos ensues. The show will run from July 1 to July 15.

Ngaa Paki o Matariki

This celebration will invite those from Hamilton City and the wider surrounding areas of Tainui rohe to mark Matariki. Two of the largest kaupapa Māori events for rangatahi across Tainui, the Tainui Secondary School Manu Kōrero and Kapa Haka Competitions, will be joined with an exhibition of works by young people. The event will take place on July 13 and 14 and will be held at GLOBOX Arena & Events Centre in Claudelands.

Enjoy some crafting

The Waikato Museum is set to lead workshops for tamariki this school holidays, leading them through crafts and origami. There will be sessions about how to create koowhai flowers, stars, shadow puppets and finger puppets. The workshops will run on July 4-5, 8 and 11-12.

Coromandel Peninsula

Enjoy a theme park

The Waterworks is an action-packed theme park just a 12-minute drive from Coromandel Town, filled with over 70 quirky attractions. You’ll find a flying fox, flying bikes, a hamster wheel and a maze within the park, many of which are made from second-hand materials. There are also funky sculptures and photo opportunities that are as delightful as they are puzzling. The spot is open from 10am until 6pm all week long.

Explore Driving Creek

The Driving Creek spot is a unique tourism operation with a long history, born as a small pottery spot in 1973 and now transformed into a fully charitable organisation. The destination invites visitors to explore zipline tours, ride the famous mountainous railway and explore pottery workshops.

Note: Check ahead on travelling conditions, as some road closures are in place for State Highways 25 and 2.

Tauranga

People strolling the Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Festival at the Historic Village in 2020. Photo / Andrew Warner

Stroll the Historic Village

The replica buildings and stores of the Historic Village are lovely to explore as a family and could fill a slow-paced morning or afternoon. You could visit the artist studios, see a print gallery, book a film at a lush theatre or grab a treat from an extravagant bakery. There are also a few community events scheduled throughout the holidays - one will see a free concert from the local band Red Street fill the nearby park on July 15 from 2pm.

See Kaupapa Māori documentary shorts

The Village Community Cinema will host an evening of kaupapa Māori documentary shorts, presented by Loading Docs and The Incubator Creative Hub. Loading Docs is an initiative funded by NZ on Air that works to platform local makers and fund their work capturing unique NZ stories. The selection of films will play from 6.30pm on July 6. The screening is free, but you’ll need to book ahead to ensure a seat.

Note: This screening is recommended for a mature audience.

Rotorua

A speed boat rounds a turn at Velocity Valley. Photo / Velocity Valley

Get pumped for Velocity Valley

This park might do the trick for keen thrill seekers. Velocity Valley offers a load of adrenaline-pumping experiences, including jet boating, bungy jumping, a “swoop” mega swing, “Shweeb” racing and a roaring wind tunnel. The experiences are appropriate for lots of different age ranges, so little adventurers will be able to come along for a fun-filled time.

Head for a forest adventure

Rotorua is known for its scenic forestry and there are numerous ways to enjoy the woods in winter. If you’d like a more relaxed and tranquil wander, Whakarewarewa Forest/The Redwoods boasts a large collection of walking tracks, with specific coding to suit your preference - head for a short walk and set out on a tougher tramping track. If you’d like to barrel through the woods for a bit more of an adrenaline hit, you could take to the mountain bike tracks or take to horseback to traverse the trail.

Taupō

Relax in a hot spring

There are plenty of spots to enjoy warming, rejuvenating hot springs, but Taupō boasts some of the best. If you’re after a spot that feels like a really natural retreat, then head over to Kerosene Creek. The hot spring is set within a waterfall enclave and is a scenic way to beat the heat in cold winter weather. Accessing the pools does require a half-hour walk and some prior planning.

Attend the Taupō Winter Festival

The Taupō Winter Festival kicks off today and will run right until the end of the school holidays, meaning the city will be filled with life through the full two weeks. There will be theatre performances, an icerink, pancake breakfasts, bowling, a “mega-jam” concert, a roller disco and, perhaps most adrenaline-pumping of all, a mid-winter swim.

Ohakune

Raetihi is home to a surprising and delightful house of dinosaurs. Photo / Alexia Santamaria

Visit the dinosaur house

A 1922 heritage building in the town of Raetihi houses a collection of dinosaur skeletons, fossils and intriguing life-size models, which will certainly delight dinosaur lovers. The venue takes quite an imaginative approach to the display of dinosaurs, blending fantastical elements (Jurassic Park anyone?) with more traditional museum displays.

Discover the waterfalls

There are plenty of scenic adventures available close to the mountainous region and Ruapehu really boasts a great collection of waterfalls (for all sorts of experience and energy levels). You could venture out to Waitonga Falls, Mangawhero Falls, Kaiwhakauka Waterfall, Tupapakurua Falls or Tawhai Falls (often called Gollum’s Pool due to its feature in the Lord of the Rings), depending on your preference. You’ll also need to make sure you’ve checked the conditions before heading out.

Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

Explore Te Papa

Throughout the school holidays, Te Papa will host a walk-through experience for Matariki, welcoming visitors through three interactive gateways, for moments of remembrance, celebration and hope. The installation, aptly titled Mānawatia a Matariki, will allow guests to engage through touch screens, writing and colouring on the walls and pinning notes for others to read. The museum will also host of a range of events and art exhibitions to mark the occasion.

Take a waterfront walk

Over the last weekend of the holiday, from July 13 to 16, the Wellington waterfront will come alive to mark Matariki. Matariki Ahi Kā will see light installations, projections, performances and kai fill the scenic docks. From 6 to 9pm, Mana Moana will showcase a series of indigenous short films on large-scale water screens. Each night at 8pm, there will also be a ceremony called Hiwa-i-te-rangi: the Wishing Star, where visitors can send written wishes to the heavens.