Julians Berry Farm and Café

Honestly, if you haven’t taken the kids berry picking at Julians yet, you’re missing one of the better half-days out in the Bay of Plenty. It’s a proper working farm — not a theme park dressed up as one — so there’s a realness to it that kids actually respond to. The café does the job nicely afterwards, which parents will appreciate. It’s out in Coastlands, easy enough to get to, and the kind of place you end up going back to most summers without really planning to.