Years ago there was a jaunty TV ad, with a singer warbling cheerfully: “Don’t leave town till you’ve seen the country.” It was to remind New Zealanders to holiday at home before rushing overseas, but I remembered it as we prepared our Auckland-based family for a weekend away to Orewa – just 25 minutes up the Northern Motorway from the city.

It was reassuring to know that in an emergency – or if we’d forgotten something – we could pop back home but, as it turned out, our apartment at the fabulous Nautilus complex wanted for nothing. Fully self-contained and equipped for self-catering with Sky TV and a communal pool, it met the children’s most important needs which is the perfect recipe for a successful holiday.

The next day, at nearby Snow Planet, an indoor skiing and snowboarding facility, we found ourselves standing on a cold white slope. I am still the butt of family jokes after a humiliating incident at Coronet Peak 30 years ago when I inadvertently skied backwards down a slope and landed on my bum, so I wasn’t keen to demonstrate my prowess – or lack of it – to my offspring.

Luckily our Issey was dead keen to get on a snowboard. After a few minutes clapping and cheering her early efforts, we left her – and William, who was happy just pottering – to retire to the café for hot chocolates and a bowl of their delicious signature US-style curly fries. Through huge picture windows we monitored the children’s progress; moments of triumph as they whooshed down the slope, and one of despair for Issey, when she lost control and landed on exactly the same body part that had once caused me such grief and embarrassment!

At the end of the morning, both could lay claim to basic snowboard skills, and we took them off to Waiwera Hot Pools. Dad and the kids hung out in various pools and took turns on the hydro-slides, while I succumbed to the ministrations of a wonderful lady who gave me the best facial I’ve ever had, before releasing me to a Russian masseuse who relaxed my tired, middle-aged body to the point of sleep!

The next morning, we visited the Orewa Farmers’ Market. It wasn’t too large, but still took us a couple of hours to get around, stopping to sample and to chat with stallholders. It’s a lovely thought, buying fresh food straight from the farm, and all the better for knowing these farms – and this fun little town – are barely a few kilometres from New Zealand’s biggest city!