Friday, March 29, 2024

Indulgent Easter Treats & Activities For You And the Family – With or Without Any Chocolate Involved!

Easter is so nearly upon us, so it’s high time for some Easter Treats! To celebrate, we’re taking a look at the best Easter treats to indulge in – that don’t involve a single slither of chocolate!

Whether you’re looking for something to treat a friend or loved one – or yourself, godammit! – or, you’re looking for some options that don’t involve sugar highs and sugar crashes for little ones, or just some fun ways to kick off the school holidays, we have got you covered!

The Cosiest Bunny…

If you’re looking for snuggling, novelty themed pyjamas, you can’t really go past Peter Alexander. They have so many ridiculously cute pastel, chocolate and Peter Rabbit themed pjs for Easter, as well as this perfect bunny piece for coming into the cooler months – the grey waffle bunny jumpsuit!

Peter Alexander Waffle Bunny Jumpsuit, $129

A Spot Of Tea…

T2, one of our fave places to go to for our morning/afternoon/every 10 mins cuppa, is suggesting everyone hop to their store (or online) to pick one of their easter inspired teas and teawares.

Our pick of the bunch is Baxter’s Hot Cross Buns Flavoured Black Tea (containing buckets of cinnamon spice with fruity doughy deliciousness). It can be brewed alone, or as a latte, but either way it’s the perfect accompaniment to a buttery hot cross bun or sweet treat!

T2 Baxter’s Hot Cross Buns Flavoured Black Tea, $32.

An Easter Soak…

If you really want to maximise your cup of tea and hot cross bun, do it while taking time out having an Easter inspired soak in the tub. Lush has an insane range of bath bombs, shower gels, scrubs and soaks for decadent Easter treats, without the chocolate! Our faves are the Baby Rainbow Carrot Bubble Bar ($8), Golden Egg Bath Melt ($12 – seriously, this one is deeelish, with a caramel scent, and cocoa butter to leave your skin feeling super soft) and the Follow The White Rabbit bath bomb ($10).

Lush Easter Bath Bombs, Bubble Bars, Bath Melts and Shower Gels from $6.90 each

A Hot Cross Bun with a Difference…

If you are in Auckland this weekend then I recommend high-tailing it down to The Pantry at the Park Hyatt asap, where they are doing a Hot Cross Bun Donut. Lordy.

It’s a traditional brioche dough packed with Earl Grey soaked sultana and citrus peel and an array of spices that pack a punch – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, coriander, tonka bean, black pepper, cardamom, cloves. Traditional house made whipped CARAMEL egg-based VANILLA custard – finished with a caramel glaze.

HOT X BUN | CARAMEL VANILLA DONUT, $8 each

For the Kids

An Eggcellent Option…

If you like the idea of them hunting down something that’s sugar free, but still fun, here’s your best bet. It’s an egg with a difference – an egg that you submerge in water then wait 24-48 hours as you watch your egg slowly break and your little dino hatches. The more water, the bigger your dinosaur!

This one requires a fair bit of patience, because there’s a wait to get your final result – but it’s worth it!

Dinosaur Egg, $3 from The Warehouse

An Easter Tale…

Another wonderful sugar-free options for the kiddos, is this gorgeous Beatrix Potter Easter book.

Join Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail in their adventure to find the best hiding places for their special easter egg hunt! It’s Easter, and Peter and his sisters are hiding easter eggs for all their forest friends to find. Can you lift-the-flaps and help them find the perfect hiding spots? Perfect for busy little bunnies everywhere, follow Peter and his sisters on this new Easter adventure with a lift-the-flap on every page and a very special fold-out surprise!

Peter Rabbit Easter Fun by Beatrix Potter, $19 from The Warehouse

Hop To A Easter Hunt…

Pack up the kids and head to Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens on Easter Sunday for their Easter Egg Hunt event. The kids can hunt for coloured tokens along the trail, and swap these for real eggs when they meet the easter bunny.

There’s also something for everyone with kids playground areas, picnic and Petanque areas, plus a 1Km sculpture trail which has over 40 new sculptures on display. They also have their cute little coffee shop on site which will be running a BBQ throughout the day, to keep those blood sugar levels in check.

Family Pass to the Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens Easter Egg Hunt, $35 (up to 2 adults and 3 children)

Embark on a Golden Egg Hunt…

This image (above) made me lose my mind a little bit because I LOVE cotton-top tamarins (they’re the best, cutest, grumpy little creatures!) so I feel very excited about this event already.

It’s all happening at Butterfly Creek from Friday March 29 to Monday April 2. Get ready to embark on their Golden Egg hunt – the Easter Bunny has hidden nine golden eggs and needs your help finding them. Bring a pen, grab a quiz form on arrival, find all the eggs, and spell out a word to be in to win some awesome prizes!

Golden Egg Hunt at Butterfly Creek, Family Pass (2 adults, 2 children) $85. Under threes are free.

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