March 16
MEDIA RELEASE
School holiday fun at Highwic
Highwic, the Heritage New Zealand property in Newmarket, is the place to be these school holidays.
Kids at a loose end can take part in a range of fun activities that will keep them occupied and amused through Easter
and well into the two-week school break.
A highlight of the holiday season at Highwic will be two performances of The Puppet Man’s Amazing Marionette Circus Show presented by Auckland puppeteer John Rew.
Inspired by a cowboy marionette he was given as a boy, John began making his own puppets and over the years has built up
a miniature circus.
“The challenge is always to see just what you can do with strings and wooden characters as you make the inanimate come
to life,” says John.
“Children really love the show and afterwards they get to have a turn with a simple puppet themselves.”
The two sessions start at 10.30am on April 9 and 16 and will kick off two traditional Fun Days at Highwic, which will
include supervised indoor games like Blind Man’s Bluff, musical cushions and more. Depending on the weather, children
will also be able to take part in egg and spoon races, sack races, three legged races and other timeless outdoor games.
The Fun Days will finish at 3.30pm.
Things take a different tack with two sessions of Arty Easter Eggs and Biscuits on April 8 (10am-12.30pm and 1-3.30pm) in Highwic’s kitchen.
Kids, adults and ‘kidults’ will have the opportunity of baking their own biscuits on Highwic’s coal range, and then – in
keeping with the Easter season – decorating an egg to eat there or to take home
Highwic’s beautifully restored coal range will be fired up again a week later on April 15 for another kitchen-based
activity – Soldiers Biscuit and Poppy Making.
“We’ll be running two sessions for this activity as well in which kids will be able to make their own Anzac biscuits on
the range – just like their great-grandmothers did to send to soldiers overseas during the First World War,” says the
Manager of Highwic, Cheryl Laurie.
“And if that’s not enough, our Peter Rabbit Trail will run through the holidays from April 5-17 which will help keep children amused for hours,” she says.
“Kids can hunt for images of Peter Rabbit hidden in the house and grounds, and everyone who completes the trail will go
into the draw to win a beautiful Beatrix Potter children’s book.”
Places are limited for some activities and people are encouraged to book early. For more information on activity times
and dates, admission charges and bookings, visit www.heritage.org.nz/places