Auckland School Holiday Activities 2020

School holidays are here and that means one thing: frantically finding activities that ditch the screen time and embrace the outdoors! 

We’re parents too, and we (like many others) are seeking (physical) activities that will also ensure the kids will have a good, long sleep. We found a good bunch for our kids here in Auckland – so thought we’d share them with you too so you *may* be able to enjoy finishing a cup of hot coffee for the first time in years. Disclaimer: We haven’t managed it just yet.

Sculpture in the Gardens

This is an exhibition hosted at the Auckland Botanic Gardens and is now open daily (8am – 6pm) to the public for this Summer right through until Sunday 1st March, 2020. This 2km sculpture trail is absolutely free (yessss) and a great opportunity to get out and about to let the kids explore and complete activities as you all walk around admiring the large scale artworks. While you sip on a hot takeaway coffee. You can find more information here https://www.sculptureinthegardens.nz 

The Enchanted Walk

The Enchanted Walk in Alberton on Mt Albert Road is another goodie. Walk around the pathways looking for all the hidden fairy doors and houses dotted throughout. Complete with a bring and swap painted stone garden, this will provide lots of fun for the whole family (because the kids will love it, and you can relax and snap some great pics of the kids to give to your parents for Christmas). Open 10.30am – 4.30pm, Wednesday to Sunday through until the end of February 2020. Find all the information you need here https://www.neighbourhoodarts.org.nz/the-enchanted-walk 

Splash Pads

Splash Pads are such a hit during the hot summer months in our books too! Great opportunity for the kids to get out and run around, cool down and have a whole lot of fun while doing so! A great list of some of the best ones in Auckland can be found here https://www.aucklandforkids.co.nz/playgrounds/the-best-splash-pads-in-auckland-for-kids/

Climb to the summit of Rangitoto Island

We like this one because ferries + picnics + walks + views = great family day out! We plan on doing this one with friends that also have kids – and are looking forward to it! For information on ferry crossings and how to get around once you are there, find the Rangitoto Island website here http://rangitoto.co.nz

Local bush walks

There are so many goodies in the Auckland area, so you don’t have to drive far. We plan on showing the kids some photos of things they may find in the forest, so they can look for them and hopefully appreciate the little details of what our beautiful country has to offer! We love this curated list of walks that we found here:  http://epiclittlemissions.co.nz/auckland-walks-short 

And some more!

We loved finding this list of activities to do these school holidays, but we won’t be forgetting our good-old-faves, such as:

  •  Heading to the Auckland Zoo for a day out. Aaaand it has a South East Asia Jungle Track opening soon!
  • Exploring the Auckland Museum, the Auckland Domain and the Auckland Wintergardens – just keep an eye on the kids around those geese!
  • Finding new awesome playgrounds. In our books, it’s an easy winner! https://www.aucklandforkids.co.nz/top-10-playgrounds/

And if your kids have any pains or niggles this summer…

… Bring them in to see our experienced podiatrists! We love helping kids stay happy and healthy on their feet. You can book your appointment online here or call us on 09 523 2333

Three Ways Orthotics Will Help The Pain At The Ball Of Your Foot

This article is for you if you have:
  • Pain at the ball of your foot (forefoot)
  • Have been wondering if orthotics could help decrease your pain or improve your comfort
  • Have orthotics but unsure how they are working (and if something could be done to make them even more effective!)
Orthotics have the ability to reduce pain, facilitate the healing of injuries, make walking and running much more comfortable and really add positively to your quality of life. While a lot of expertise and care goes into each orthotic prescription we make, you get given this device that replaces the inner sole of your shoes, without perhaps knowing the inner workings and theory behind it. As you start feeling the difference, you may be left wondering exactly how the orthotics are working and resulting in your symptom relief. Perhaps you know someone whose orthotics haven’t produced the same great results that yours have. Well, today we’re answering all these questions and sharing three ways that orthotics can start helping your forefoot pain today! Here we go…

#1. Orthotics take pressure away from damaged joints, tissues, ligaments and bones

Custom orthotics have features or additions. When we talk about forefoot pain, we often talk about adding an addition to the forefoot and midfoot that will actually remove the regular pressure away from damaged bones and joints – or at least decrease it significantly. Picture this. Your big toe joint is injured. Every time you walk, you put pressure along the whole foot including that joint. You put a big cushion beneath the foot, but not beneath the big toe joint. As you walk and your midfoot is supported and cushioned, the big toe joint drops down in front of the cushion but doesn’t really touch the ground. No direct pressure means no pain. And voila! Of course, it’s a lot more technical than that. You can’t actually put a giant cushion beneath your foot. You won’t be able to walk normally or wear normal shoes so ultimately you’ll put your regular shoes back on and BAM – painful symptoms. Instead, we incorporate this carefully into your orthotics that work with your everyday shoes, through pads and cut-outs and various other techniques we have up our sleeve. And by techniques, we mean evidence-based thoroughly-researched and proven techniques.

#2. Orthotics support the bones and tissues of the arch, stopping their collapse and the narrowing of the space between them

Hold out your hand, bring your fingers flat together, and imagine these fingers as the long bones of your feet. Now, imagine that there is something between the bones. It could be a nerve, ligament, muscle, a common mass like a cyst, or something else. If that structure gets damaged, one of the first things that’ll happen is that it will swell. When it swells, it gets larger and takes up more of that space between the bones. The bones then will rub against it and push on it, it will be sore and painful, and this will continue until you put your feet up and rest. Unfortunately, when you put your feet back on the ground, the process just starts up again until you can relieve pressure away from the area for long enough for it to heal. Sounds pretty hard to keep the foot up when we’ve got jobs and daily tasks where walking is essential, right? Yep! The solution? An addition within the orthotic that supports the foot and opens up the space between the bones. Good amount of space = no direct rubbing = healing can proceed. No magic here, just good ol’ science, precision and biomechanics.

#3. Orthotics help absorb shock and hence the impact forces through the forefoot

To help explain this one, we’re going to backtrack back to physics. Remember Newton’s third law? The one that says that every force has an equal and opposite reaction force? Let’s start here. If you hit your foot hard against the ground right now (please don’t), your foot won’t bounce back. Instead, you’ll feel a force, and maybe some shock or pain, coming back through your foot (the opposite and equal force). Now, imagine this kind of force occurring every time you run or jump. Did we mention that you exert a force equal to three timesyour body weight during running? For some, the force will be transferred effectively through their feet, bones and tissues, and they’ll feel little impact. For others, inefficient gait (movement) will result in much more stress and shock through the feet, which can lead to pains and problems. Here’s where the orthotics come in. Where the biomechanics of the feet are lacking, orthotics can step in and work to absorb shock and ground reaction forces as we take step after step. This can mean a significant reduction of pain and symptoms through our feet, and have us feeling much more comfortable after a long day at work. So there we have it! Just three of the many ways that orthotics can help with forefoot pain, among the variety of other foot and leg pathologies they can help with. Keep in mind that not all orthotics are created the same – each custom orthotic is made following the precise script of the prescribing practitioner – that’s why it’s very important that you see a Podiatrist that specialises in orthotics and lower limb biomechanics. This also explains why orthotics work brilliantly for some people and not so for others – because they weren’t designed or created as optimally as they could be. If you feel like your current orthotics just aren’t doing the job and would like to book in with our orthotic specialists here at Perform Podiatry to have them checked, give us a call on 09 523 2333 or book online here.