Put a Spring in your step
Thermal pools, a massage, wineries and adrenaline-pumping activities – it’s all on at Hanmer.
With summer holidays a distant memory for most of us, you may already be looking for your next escape.
There is nothing quite like hot springs to melt away stress, especially when it’s combined with a spa treatment and a winery visit.
Driving into Hanmer Springs almost feels as if you’ve been teleported to an idyllic little Swiss village, with its fairytale alpine beauty.
We were even stuck in a local traffic jam: four pet llamas crossing the main road.
Hanmer Springs is so much more than a day trip – here are five reasons you can’t miss it.
Hot Springs
The little village of about 900 people sits right on a fault line, and up between the cracks bubble the town’s famed healing waters. It’s come a long way from a little mud pond that first opened in 1883.
In the beginning, nobody wore togs, so bathers hoisted a pair of trousers or a skirt on to a pole to warn others who could enter.
Today, there’s a huge selection of pools, some with massage jets and waterfalls. There are also hydroslides for the kids. After indulging in healing waters, head next door to The Spa and experience the healing hands of massage therapists with a full body relaxation massage.
Adventure time
After a day soaking, nothing will bring your senses back to life quite like jet boating down a river at high speed, coming within centimetres of rocks.
The jet boats pump 800 litres a second to get you screaming down the river at 90 kilometres an hour, the captain swinging the boat between trees and boulders with almost superhuman precision.
Hanmer Springs Attractions also takes quad bike tours through stunning alpine back-country streams, forest and mud tracks.
It’s the most fun I’ve ever had on four wheels.
If you want even more adrenaline, try a bungy jump from the main bridge leading into Hanmer.
Stay in style
The town’s most famous hotel is also the most beautiful: Heritage Hanmer Springs.
It has the age-old romance of a grand Victorian-era hotel – especially with its huge park-like garden, popular with guests eating cheese platters and a drinking a glass of wine.
Fish and chips at the hotel’s Isobel restaurant is also a must, or let them pack you a picnic and head out into the forest to find your own slice of paradise.
A trip for wine lovers
On the drive from Christchurch to Hanmer, you’ll notice far more wineries than petrol stations. Some would say fuel for the soul.
The region’s wine is some of the best in the country.
All wineries feature incredible local fare and a number offer an organic drop to match.
Cycle the mountains
The town has more than 25 cycle trails meandering through the forest and alpine meadows. Or if you’re after something with a little more incline, there’s no shortage of rugged mountain tracks.
The national cycleway passes near Hanmer on the St James track, which traverses some of the country’s most spectacular high country. The track is challenging and would definitely be a good excuse for a soak in the thermal pools afterwards.
❚ The author was a guest of Heritage Hanmer Springs.
Last year Brook Sabin and his partner Radha Engling quit their jobs and sold everything to travel. Each week Kiwis in Flight takes you on their adventures. See onflightmode.com