Clip n' Climb

One of the biggest adjustments we’ve had in our move is adjusting to life in a place where it rains. A lot. Finding good indoor activities has been a priority because the kids and I will go insane if we stay in the house indefinitely. One our our favorite places to visit is Clip n’ Climb. Unfortunately the Dominion Road location on Dominion Road is closing February 17, but never fear, there is a second location in Albany that isn’t going anywhere. Individual passes are NZ$12 on Dominion Road and NZ$20 in Albany. I’m squeezing this post in to hopefully encourage people to go in for one last hurrah before their lease runs out.

Once inside, each child gets a harness. Young kids and their parents get a lesson on how to work the carabiners and clip in securely. A word of advice: the climbing rigs are self-belaying, and the tension pulling the ropes up is intense. It took some real strength to manhandle the carabiners and clip the kids in safely. After the lesson, the kids are set free in a wonderful climbing area full of challenging courses and bright colors. My three year old daughter, who is about 14kg (30 lbs.) struggled a bit because the ropes kept pulling her up. Not enough to actually lift her off the ground, but her petite frame was more of a hindrance than help. My five year old son had no problems, however.

The slide: For NZ$2 on Dominion Road and $NZ5 in Albany, kids can put on a special, slippery jumpsuit and helmet, hold onto a trapeze, and get pulled up to 8 meters high before letting go and sliding down. My five year old loves it! The three year old, as you can see, is a little young to go all out, but after the fact it was a highlight.

I love how the kids are physically unable to run off at Clip n’ Climb. They are literally stuck at the climbing wall I clip them into, so there’s no chasing anyone around or wondering where someone ran off to. Plus, all of the climbing burns off a ridiculous amount of energy. The kids always leave hungry and exhausted. If you’ve got young kids, you know this is a huge blessing on a rainy day. While we’re sad to see the Dominion Road location close, we love this place so much that I know we’ll make the longer drive to Albany.