Days Out: Santa at Kia Ora Mini Farm

Santa at Kia Ora Mini Farm

It’s not that we are unoriginal or unimaginative or anything,  but the last three years we have gone to see Santa at Kia Ora Mini Farm. The first year we went because there was snow and it was nearby, plus we had a teeny Cathal, last year it was still close by and we’d had a great time the previous year, and this time because it’s now our family tradition, and sure where else would you go?

All the information that you need about Kia Ora is on their website, including opening times, price etc, so if that’s what you’re after click here and bye!

But if you want to hear about what we love about Kia Ora farm and Christmastime and why we don’t consider going anywhere else read on.

What we love about the Santa experience at Kia Ora

The staff are all so friendly, from the lady who takes your money and gives you your Santa tickets on the way in, to the elves, the fire engine driver, the ladies in the coffee shop, and obviously the big man himself, everyone takes time with the kids, and really adds to the experience.

They have painted footprints on the concrete with a sign saying Santa, kids follow the footprints to find Santa

The place is so well decorated, every available space has lights and Santas, for kids less is definitely NOT more when it comes to Christmas lights and decorations, the more the better, and Kia Ora definitely delivers on that, adding to the magical Christmassy feeling and kiddie wow factor.

In the building that Santa is in the rooms to the side of the queuing area (I call it this, but we always go in early December so that the elves have plenty of time to make the toys)  are decorated as Santa’s bedroom, post room, toy workshop etc.

Santa is just about the friendliest Santa I’ve ever met, in fact, we’re pretty sure that he’s the real one. He was a twinkle in his eye, knew the level to talk to the boys at and understood the wariness of the smaller fella who insisted on Mama being in his photo.

The toys, again adding to the magic you meet Santa and Mrs Claus in their sitting room which has a Christmas tree, two great thrones and is toys piled wall high that the kids can choose for themselves what they would like (although Santa is very clear that Mammy and Daddy should help). They are quality toys, worth about €10, lots of farm sets, board games etc.

The mulled wine and Christmas cake or muffin included in the price for the adults, it’s lovely to sit down together before we go home and chat about all the things we did over a glass of warm mulled wine.

You can still do all the normal farm stuff- Kia Ora’s not just for Christmas, we love it all year around, but this post is just dedicated to the Christmas fabulousness, I’ll surely get around to a post in the summer where I talk about the animals, the maze, the dozens of tractors, the animal feeding, and the real life fire engine rides that have us go to Kia Ora all year around and are there for the Christmas season too.

NOTE: We have no links or associations with Kia Ora Mini Farm, nobody asked me to write this post and we paid full admission price to get in.