Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
attractions and activities. The parental role of the father is illustrated by
the Hoiho family, whose trip included a visit to the Rainbow's End theme
park in Auckland. In the post-holiday family interview, the Hoiho father
emphasised his active involvement in the theme park experience:
I did a lot of rides with the children. I was not a spectator so I accompa-
nied the children on those rides. So I enjoyed those days as well because
the children were enjoying themselves and just for their own sake. They
were quite fun too.
The on-holiday engagement of fathers in more active leisure behaviour
with their children mirrors findings in the leisure literature (Kay, 2009).
This reflected New Zealand men's involvement with their children through
physical activity, which is comparable to Australian men (Harrington, 2009).
In contrast, mothers preferred a more passive and emotional involvement
with their children and generally saw theme parks as more of a sacrifice,
valued because of the children's enjoyment rather than their own. The
activities-based parenting of the fathers on holiday also meant that they
were often the facilitators of the mothers' own time. This meant that fathers
were entertaining the children partly to enable the mothers to pursue their
individual interests, for example reading or shopping. This facilitation role
was highlighted by the Hoiho father in his final individual interviews:
I suppose at those campgrounds I would be happy to just sit in the
chair and read but I realise that it is important for them [the children]
particularly to be entertained and have fun with me and do these sort of
activities when I would personally be just as happy sitting and reading
because <wife> tends to spend time during the [school] term with
dealing with the children while I am at work.
By including the voices of the fathers it emerged that an entertainment
imperative exists for fathers that has largely been unreported due to a lack
of research into fatherhood on holiday (Schänzel & Smith, 2011). Getting
a break from the fatherhood discourse can then be considered secondary to
the needs of mothers for their own time.
In their
own time
, fathers engaged in personal interests revolving more
around independent physical and mental activities and challenges such as
surf kayaking and Sudoku. Some of these activities fathers undertook only
in the holidays, such as fishing and sailing:
It is the sailing that is good sport. You try and make the boat go and just
the challenge of making the boat work and sail and get where you want
to go. (Kereru father, post-holiday individual interview)
