I totally love this place, there is clearly nothing like it in Auckland that I have seen yet thus…read morefar. As a second time visitor and this time taking it in my stride to venture over on my own with the kiddies; I was happily entertained by the kids aged two to eleven( a fantastic note to self that there is something for all ages here). The under four's even have there own zone to enjoy. My first visit here probably was a year ago, and I was attending with children for a five year olds birthday. There are special tables you can hire out for a birthday party, this particular party was catered for by the family in charge, and the kids had a ball! After an hour or so of jumping on inflated castles and running through courses with slides and tunnels the kids gathered for a sit down lunch before running back to enjoy Inflatable world once they had got a bit of food. Not only is this place fantastic for parties but during the first week of school holidays i had three under twelve year olds, and this was my turn to for a bit of fun! The weather may not be so hot outdoors, but at Inflatable its fun and feels sunny! Even in winter you can keep the chills away by sitting under heaters on the chairs provided. A lifesaver for parents and caregivers the kids love it, and you end the visit with very tired ad thrilled kids, who always want to return. The car park is onsite, however gotta be lucky when its busy as they do fill up quick.

Came here for an 8 year old birthday party. It is located in the same building/business as Planet…read moreSport, which initially was a bit confusing as their website had no mention of this. There are heaps of different bouncy castles for te kids to play on, plus a under 5 area which my toddler enjoyed. Toys were in good condition too. You are allowed and encouraged to bring in your own food and drink (no alcohol of course) as there isn't a cafe on site.

I enrolled my son in the closest Jumping Beans class to our home, and am so happy for the…read moreconfidence and skills he has gained. Jumping beans is a fun gymnasium type class with trampolines, swings, beams,climbing ladders, tunnels, and bowl spinners that captivate the little minds of any pre preschooler. I was really curious after seeing the Jumping Beans sign on the main road off Church street and had an impression of kids dressed as beans jumping around the room. After some research, and a decision to join my sister in law and her baby toddler we signed up and paid the 9 week enrollment fee for our littlies to be active and explore through activity. The class teachers Chris, Jackie and Debbie are a fantastic bunch of tuned in well qualified jumping beans instructors, and I put 100% trust in the programme. Not only do the classes give our children social confidence but they learn to use their clever minds and perform active tasks. My boy is thrilled every Thursday when it's time for class and I surely see the best results.

Amy said it best in her review, there are two ways to look at Chipmunks …read more. A) As an Adult B) As a kid. Lets address point A first. Captive market (you can't bring other food/drink in), crowded surroundings, uncomfortable seats and horrible overpriced food served by very surly staff who really don't want to be there. Point B needs a little bit of information too, my five year old will charge around there from place to place and scream and jump and have fun. My 7 year old comes back to the table, a little bored every now and then. But yes the defining factor of THIS Chipmunks is the long slide, its mega fun for the kids to play on while the adults seethe in silence. TIP: Bring a book, iPad, Laptop etc.. just SOMETHING.

Chipmunks is a claustrophobic's worst fear! When I went, there was practically NO room to move…read morearound. There were families and kiddies parked up everywhere on every square inch of the building! For this reason I couldn't stay too long but we did stay long enough to enjoy some of the highlights. For me the main highlight was the slide, which you sped down while sitting on a blanket to make you pick up some serious speed! For my nephew I think everything was a highlight... from the crazy jungle gyms to the jumping castle - it's a child's paradise! I'm a little reluctant to go back because of the crowds... but for my little boy I would go and charge the slide again for sure!

As a child, I was never one of those girls who was really into horses, to be honest I was more…read moreinterested in dragons at that stage. My best friend had a collection of my little pony sets that I used to ridicule. Unfortunately for me, my partners flatmates little girl IS really into them, so on our babysitting day last week I was reluctantly dragged along with her down the road to the Chelsea Pony Club. Happy children carousing around on dangerous animals isn't really my thing, so imagine my shock to find that I actually really enjoyed myself. The little girl is on a membership at the club called: riders without horses, obviously for those without a valiant steed though there are stabling options so if you do have a horse you can pay a little extra for a membership option that includes grazing and upkeep of your animal etc. This pony club is the only one of its type in the urban heart of North Shore City, it looks rather incongruous juxtaposed against the background of a busy road. By the end of the session here, I was even up on the pony cantering around the obstacle course and yes I did have fun.

Fantastic park and walkway that I got to introduce to friends who had never heard of it or been…read morebefore! So glad they know of it now, especially the one who has a dog whose allowed on this track. Just next to Castor Bay, Kennedy is home to gun emplacements as well as tunnels from the Second World War. The tunnels are only open second Sunday of every month between 11am and 2pm for guided walks by volunteers from the Kennedy Park WWII Trust. There is also ample green grass and shade from trees next to the wooden coastal walkway. There is a sturdy wooden staircase leading to Back Beach where several people were doing up and down stair-runs and other fit-stuff. Good on them. Unfortunately we came at high tide so couldn't make it full all the way around the cliffs but definitely coming back at low tide to do more walk exploring and go for a swim! Having said that though, we instead did the coastal walk, noticed the spiderweb-centred playground that looked like fun as well. A proper dedicated car park space you can turn into after the main sign. Such a great park space- must see.

JF Kennedy Park is one of those fantastic spots that has somehow managed to remain relatively…read moreunknown - well, unknown enough at least to ensure it's not overcrowded or anything. You get there a little turnoff into a carpark off Beach Road which reveals a wide expanse of park complete with a quality playground. At first you don't quite realise how high up you are, but then you notice the water of the Hauraki Gulf on the horizon out to the east, walk to the edge of the park, and see that you're actually on a high clifftop. You can follow a wooden staircase all the way down the cliff-face, revealing a beautiful beach mercifully free of direct car access which makes gives it a nice secluded feel. It is a favourite of the fitness/dog walking crowd, but most of the time this beach is pretty well empty so it's a great place to come for a swim, enjoy some Vitamin D, and marvel at the golden rock of the cliff. My favourite time to come is just before sunset - it's especially peaceful around this time, and in summer the water's still lovely and warm.

Despite my distaste at their $5 parking fee (ended up parking on the road instead), I enjoyed…read moreattending a Breakers game here last night. The staff were super friendly and helpful, and although the place is a bit rough around the edges, it's still a good venue for this kind of affair. Loads of room, good seating arrangements that aren't too far from the court despite being in what my Dad calls 'the nosebleed section', an unusual but workable system for the café, and generally good vibes, it's got a lot going for it!

I love taking my son to Preschool Play at our local parks on the shore…read more The Kapatiki Local Board and Community Trust has a free of charge morning of play for the preschool age child, and they bring a whole bunch of toys and games for the little one to spend a few hours having lots of fun with other local children. My coffee group from maternity class usually make this our spot to meet once a week when the weather is fine, and Its been such a glorious summer/fall that we have had lots of fun at numerous parks around the north shore. If you have a child aged anywhere between 10 months and three years I would say that they would be thrilled to bits with Preschool Play. A great chance for my child to interact with other people and their kids, and he always has a blast. I will miss Preschool Play through the winter, but can't wait to get back into it later this summer.

I must admit Potters Park this morning was a saving grace, up early for a 6 km charity walk along…read morethe bays, the children needed a playground to kill the time with while we waited for the race to begin. Potters Park has a lovely grassy area perfect for kicking a ball about or flying a kite, and the most beautiful rose gardens on site. You can sit and read a book on the many benches available. I was very impressed with the playground as I have taken my toddler to a few places that have been only good for the over 2 1/2 age bracket, so for the mums who would love to see bub crawling, climbing and interacting with the playground a bit more heres your answer. Of course the park has bathrooms on site care of the council, and right next door is a large public pay and display car park which is free on the weekends, what a bonus. The Playground is only a small one, so if it is a busy time of day you might have to wait a bit for swings etc, however I recommend early on a saturday morning as on sunday the Anzac street carpark fills up with the Takapuna Sunday Markets.

One of the best parks around in a busy residential area. I've been living in this area for nearly 8…read moreyears (or more can't even remember now!) and they just keep improving this park for the better. They have developed this awesome bike track for kids, complete with ramps and bridges and round about with stop signs (to teach them early about driving haha) and from the looks of it, all the kids in the neighbourhood LOVE it. I have tried skateboarding on this track and it's definitely harder so stick to scooters and bikes. The "big kids" playground is so EPIC with flying foxes (can never get too old for this but can be too tall as my bottom and legs will graze the bark), miniature climbing wall, tall tunnel slide, bridges, monkey bars oh my gosh you name it. Don't fret! There's a miniature playground for the little ones that's more safe and to a smaller scale and and really cool swings (for babies, toddlers or the big kids like myself! ) For the adults or the more adventurous kiddies there's a forestry/bush walk that really cool to have in a residential jungle. And they've cleaned it up, made better, stronger and wider walking paths. There's a big field for soccer, lacrosse, rugby etc and biggish public toilets next to it. A big pond with water coming in from the harbour and ducks (sometimes cute little ducklings) swimming lounging around and sometimes people race their remote boats in it too! There's a public BBQ by the miniature playground and also on weekends there's a coffee and ice cream truck on standby! There's just so much going on in this park that you can never get bored and probably never want to leave until someone has to drag you out hahaha

Silde fast. Fields big. Pump track long good. Swings good. Coming back tomorrow. Flying fox more…read morelike zooming fox.

Marlborough Park in Glenfield has a little bit of everything for everyone. I love visiting for the…read moreplayground as it has a section of low tunnels and abacus balls for my preschooler to enjoy playing with; also swings and slides that suit the little and big kid. Not only are the children catered for, there is a basketball court, a skate bowl, a climbing frame, and even a flying fox. If your jogging in the area, why not pop in and work out on the free adult gym equipment? Fantastic park for a picnic on a warm sunny day, and with lots of trees is just really pretty to look at. Please don't miss the peace of Marlborough Park.