School holidays: How much will they hit your pocket?

School holidays do not come cheap.

A total of $145 for a family of four to go to Kelly Tarltons, $80 for a trip to the zoo, at least $40 for a movie - that is without popcorn or an ice cream.

How much will these school holidays hit your pocket?

It was mid-morning and the foyer of Event Cinemas on the top floor of Auckland's West City mall was bustling with children heading to the movies.

Most families had signed up to a Tuesday promotion so they have scored a deal on cheap tickets.

One mother told First Up she paid $40 for four tickets.

"We're going to spend maybe like $40-50 on snacks, popcorn, coke, lollies and then we might do a little window browse and end up getting one or two things extra. So we're looking at about $100."

Ordinarily, movie tickets here would set parents back $16.50 for an adult and $15.50 for a child - elsewhere it could cost up to $25.50 and $19.50 for a child.

What about other school holiday activities?

A family ticket for two adults and two kids to Sea Life Kelly Tarltons Aquarium in Auckland is $145.

A visit to Auckland Zoo will set a family of four back nearly $80, it's $69 for Wellington Zoo and $91.50 for a family to visit Orana Park in Christchurch.

In Rotorua, it is $162 for a family of four to enjoy a ride on the gondola and luge.

And in Tauranga, a family pass to the Mount Hot Pools is $70.

One grandmother told First Up she would spend close to $200 for a day's outing with her grandsons who were 8 and 10.

Another mum who was having lunch with her daughter said although she was on what would be considered a "very good salary", her family had to tighten their purse strings because of the rising cost of living.

"We haven't done this going out together like this since the last school holidays," she said.

One mother who had just arrived at the mall said she had already spent $40 and they were yet to have lunch.

"We haven't even got to the $2 shop yet."

Just a few metres from the mall, Zone Bowling in Henderson has laser tag, arcade games and bumper cars.

One dad said although his children would have lunch at home, he had already spent $115 on arcade games and bowling.

It was 11am, but the fun had only just started for one mum-of-three.

"We've spent $120 so far - that's for three kids for bowling, laser tag, bumper cars.

"And then they also get to do an hour on the games."

She was expecting to spend $20-30 on pies and sandwiches for lunch.

Other parents at the mall said the cost of school holiday programmes was now prohibitive.

One mother said her son's usual school holiday programme had nearly doubled the daily charge in less than one year.

"It used to be $30 for the around six hours and included some snack and also some activity.

"At the moment it's $58."

She said she preferred to take time off work and spend it with her son instead of sending him to the holiday programme.

Despite the high cost of some activities, there were some free options.

Many museums around the country like Te Papa in Wellington and Auckland's War Memorial Museum were free to visit.

And for those in Hamilton, a visit to the gardens would not cost a cent.

Teenagers First Up spoke to said summer holidays can be easier on mum and dad's wallet.

"It's really easy to just go to the beach for free, maybe pack a picnic from home."

Back at Auckland's West City mall, it was a different story.

One 8-year-old was planning to buy Pokemon cards and said his mother had promised to buy him some other things.

"[My budget is] like $20."