Enchanting huts create a fun surprise for families on a nature trail in Wellington!

Recently while holidaying in Wellington my family and I had the chance to escape the city and explore the beautiful Kāpiti Coast. The draw card was the Urban Hut Club… like a pub crawl, except kid friendly and good for your health (so actually, nothing like a pub crawl except for the fact we had a grand time going from one hut to the next 😉).  The Urban Hut Club is part of this year's New Zealand Festival of the Arts, and Kemi and Niko, the artists behind the wandering interactive exhibition have one mission… to immerse families in nature. Their mission couldn’t be more noble when you consider Richard Louv’s words, author of Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder: "In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy and privacy; a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace.”

Kemi and Niko designed five enchanting mini huts that engage and delight little people and adults alike. We followed clues to find the huts, and each one was a surprise: a bespoke design made of unique salvaged materials with log books hidden in secret cubby holes to record your visit, and stories written by well known authors to entertain the little ones. It was a fun way to spend a day with the family. While en route to one of the huts we discovered an epic kids playground with a flying fox and at the other hut the kids discovered a centipede! It was these elements of surprise and discovery along the way that made the outing so fun for all of us.

If you’re near Wellington in the next week with little children and want to explore, I couldn’t recommend this activity more highly. The Festival started on 21 February and finishes the weekend of 15 March so be in quick to experience this family friendly adventure!

Click here to find directions and follow Urban Hut Club on Instagram @urbanhutclub @nzfestivalofthearts

Marianne Falconer