Škoda Sunday Drive

Nearing the end of October, the weather in New Zealand was finally warming up and Tracey Atkin arrived at Skoda to collect the Kodiaq for a trip to Mount Maunganui. It was the weekend of her eldest sons water polo tournament, but this was still a family affair as all five members eagerly piled into the 7-seater.

Everyone’s bags were loaded with ease into the spacious boot which left Tracey very impressed as she added “this never happens, we usually have to travel with a roof pod”. The road trip snacks were sneakily tucked away into the front glovebox out of reach of the kids for now. Luckily, they were already busy being excited by the LED lights inside the Kodiaq, testing nearly every colour setting on offer.

Travelling to the Mount via Paeroa, the family were easily able to admire the beautiful Karangahake Gorge through the panoramic windows of the Kodiaq. In the backseat, the kids could easily pull up the sun shades if it got too bright along the way. After a drive which Tracey described as “incredibly smooth” thanks to the Kodiaq’s comfort suspension, the family arrived at their accommodation. It was straight into the pool but not before a moment of appreciation for the Kodiaq’s stylish sporty alloy wheels and sparkling front grill.

The next two days were full of water polo, but Tracey was determined to fit in activities for everyone between games. As the first break came along, it was into the Kodiaq and off to the water trikes. Tracey still isn’t sure how much pedalling the boys actually did but says it was a great workout for her and her husband.

It came time for game two of the day before some waterslide action followed by dinner with an old-fashioned sundae to finish. Exhausted after a jampacked day of driving from place to place, the Kodiaq driver's assist was greatly appreciated when it came to reverse or parallel parking.

Sunday brought more sunshine – and more water polo. All seven seats were put to use as extra children were taxied along to the games that day. The extensive safety features of the Kodiaq, from lane assist to the array of airbags, brought extra comfort to Tracey as she transported a car full of kids. Between games, the activity of choice was a walk around the base of Mount Maunganui where the local seal was spotted and ice cream was secured.

A weekend of many photo opportunities, Tracey loved how the Kodiaq’s wireless charging and smart link feature meant she could easily charge her phone on the go. That evening was no different, and it was put to use again on the way to a BBQ with friends. The kids made the most of their very own seat warmers in the backseat as the weather had finally cooled down.

On their way home the next day, Tracey’s husband savoured the Kodiaqs adaptive cruise control feature and to his delight, dodged any long weekend traffic. As frequent adventurers’ this weekend had been extra special with the Kodiaq providing everything this family could have asked for.