Looking for a last-minute school holiday getaway? Alice has just got back from Cardrona, where she learned the joys of Ski Kindy – yup, the alpine resort has an onsite daycare facility as well as fab lessons for kids of ALL ages, meaning everyone in the family gets to have some fun time on their own, to hit the slopes, or grab a mulled wine in peace.
I feel like I’m witnessing a miracle. A tiny, outrageously adorable miracle.
See, for years I’ve heard people raving about the fabulous, relaxing holidays they’re about to embark on, or have just got back from and have uttered those two magical words…
“Kids’ club.”
I’ve smiled and nodded along when people sing their praises, because although I do have kids and have been to places that offer kids’ clubs, I’ve only ever managed to do a tour with our youngest. He’s four and simply refuses to be left in a new environment with new people, while I gallivant off and enjoy myself. He’s not here for it. Not for a second.
So, when the good folks at Cardrona Alpine Resort reached out to let me know about their Ski Kindy – a fully licensed on-mountain childcare centre for kids aged three months through to four years, I thought, wow, how wonderful. For other people.
They asked if I wanted to try it out and share what the facilities are like with Capsule readers and I thought of the kids’ clubs I’ve sat in with my son – in resorts in Fiji or on two different cruise ships – surely like those, I’d be able to get a good feel of them, hanging out there with him? Observing how it all happened for other people?
But. Team, a miracle happened.
My son stayed. He did ski lessons. I left. I had a delightful mulled wine on my own, put my feet up and relaxed, knowing he was safe and having a great time, as were my stepson and husband who were also somewhere out on the slopes.
Cardrona offers the childcare facility – a nice snug little warm spot right by the slopes – for as little as a two-hour session ($65), right through to full-day care ($165). You can book a package that includes a lesson, either with a group or a private one-on-one. Or, you can skip the full daycare option and just head to the Ski Kindy for some lessons – private ones start at $129 for an hour, or you can do a group lesson for three hours (up to four littlies from 10am – 1pm) for $139.
Given my low expectations at how a drop off at full daycare might go, I started with the group lesson (fully expecting that he might dig his heels in and refuse to go – or let me go).
We arrived 15 minutes before his 10am class, as the snow came down and it was quite darn freezing, but inside – thanks to the heated flooring – the Ski Kindy was like a little haven from the moment we opened the doors. My son’s name was up on the whiteboard, allocated to an instructor, Zoey, all ready to go. Immediately he was greeted by an excited – and very kind – staff member who started sorting him out for gear. “Can I check how big these feet of yours’ are?” she asked him playfully as she took off his boots. “Oh my goodness! You have Paw Patrol socks on? I love Skye. Who is your favourite?” Immediately, the two started discussing the ins and outs of Paw Patrol until my little guy was fully decked out in an adorable purple snowsuit, neck warmer, boots, helmet, goggles and adorable little pair of ski’s.
Next, bounding into the room, shaking off the snow from her long dark hair, was Zoey, the instructor who was going to take him out on the snow along with another little boy, aged three. She crouched down to chat excitedly, asking him if he liked throwing snowballs, checked his gear and put things away in his cubby hole with his name tag, as other kids arrived and were assigned to their groups, by skill level. The youngest I spotted was a two-year-old who had already learned the basics, including stopping. One of the instructors said she’d recently taken a 12-month-old out for a lesson.
I don’t know whether it was the infectious enthusiasm and excitement that seemed to exude from every single person who worked in the kindy, or just the speed at which it all happened, but the next moment, my little guy was picking up his skis and following Zoey out into the snow.
I found a spot inside the Ski Kindy building, on the stairwell where I could watch out the window as Zoey helped him and his new friend craft the perfect snowball and improve their aim at throwing them (bad news for the rest of the fam!), build a snow-monster (I was corrected every time I tried to talk about the snowman they made), amongst learning first how to use just one ski, then two. I went away for a caramel slice and a hot cup of coffee and when I returned, he was whizzing up the magic carpet on his own, confidently.
“Are you having a good time,” I asked him, as he came in for a break to eat crackers and fruit. “YES!” he said, shaking the icicles out of his fringe.
On day two, the winds had dropped but the snow was still falling as we headed once again to the warmth of Ski Kindy, where he was met and kitted out with his gear. This time, he was a little upset to learn that he wouldn’t be with Zoey for the day, but in a new group with other kids who were at his new skill level – learning to stop.
This day, he was with Phil, who had endless energy, excitement and patience – no matter what the four little kids in his care threw at him. “Any day up the mountain is a good day!” he enthusiastically said – absolutely meaning it.
Like a father duck, leading his little ducklings up the slope, he made sure they were at the right level, going back over using one ski, two skis, and, of course, snowball etiquette and construction.
This time, I left them to it and headed into the restaurant, as my stepson headed off to his own lessons – a group for kids aged 7-17 – and my husband took the opportunity to shake off his snowboarding gear and hit the slopes. I drank a mulled wine. I read a book. It was delightful.
Top Tips for Heading to the Snow These School Holidays
- Choose the Best Accommodation Spot For What You Want to Achieve
You can snag accommodation at the Cardrona resort itself, or in a few spots nearby. Otherwise, your closest spot is Wanaka (around a 35-40 minute drive). Or there’s Queenstown, which is around a 70-minute drive, depending on exactly where you’re staying and what the traffic is like.
We stayed in Queenstown at the refurbished Avani, which meant we did have to wake up a bit earlier than what would be totally ideal, in order to get up the mountain, get from the car (parking can get pretty busy so allow plenty of time) and sorting gear out in time for when lessons kick off! But, there are also the many advantages of being in Queenstown – there’s so much to do if the mountain ends up closed due to bad weather, and so many fabulous options for eating out. Plus, the drive is gorgeous.
- Always Check the Snow Report.
This is the one my husband kicked himself over the most. After years as a snowboarder – including a few stints as an instructor – he quickly learned that the first thing you should do when your alarm goes off is check the snow report for the day before doing anything else. We had an early start to get everything sorted that first day, so he set his alarm for 6am and started getting ready – only to check the report at 6.30am (that’s generally when the first report for the day is issued) to discover that Cardrona and Treble Cone would be closed for the day due to gale force winds. Always check the report before you get moving – or more importantly, before you wake up the kids!
- Build in Some Rest Time
If you’re an eager beaver it can be tempting to spend every available second up the mountain, but building in some rest time is a great idea, for everyone. I’d also take into consideration what time you’re booking your flights if you’re planning on hitting the slopes early the next day. We got away on a 5.45pm flight, which was great for getting out after work (and hitting Koru Hour on Air NZ), but didn’t arrive until 7.40pm. By the time you’re picking up a rental, driving to your accommodation and going through the check-in process, the kids are in for a late night. That doesn’t really mix with a 6 or 6.30am start time to get up the mountain the next morn! I say go for the earlier flight!
- Have a Plan B
Particularly in spring, you never really know what you’re going to get up the mountain. You can have those bluebird days where you’re wearing a t-shirt, looking out over the mountains to the lake below. Or… it can be blowing a nasty gale. In the event that the mountain is closed, have a plan B in place!
We had planned a three day trip – on the first day the mountain was closed, on the second, the lower fields were open for the morning, but gradually things started shutting down and was fully closed at 1pm (refunds were available!), our third day was much better and everything was open for the entire day.
On our Plan B day we took a ride on the TSS Earnslaw Queenstown Cruise, which I’d highly recommend. It’s charming (it’s a real step back in time, with fabulous touches, like a pianist onboard), laid back and a good option for a wide range of ages. You can add on a BBQ buffet lunch or dinner (the kids were particularly impressed with the dessert buffet and wall of candy), and/or a farm show (the highlight was watching Mia the farm dog take off at a rate of knots to herd sheep).
Alice was a guest of Cardrona Alpine Resort – all opinions are her own.
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