Buckle up Buttercup
Those who choose to take a holiday break with others learn very quickly that compromise is their unwilling and constant travel companion, coming with more baggage than Cher on an overnight stay.
Invariably, and quite cruelly, the ‘relax in a spa, read books under a tree, watch the world go by from a cafe´ ’ type is usually in the company of the ‘up at dawn, hike the trails, climb every mountain and ford every stream’ type.
This is not the holiday break of which dreams are made, unless of course you go to Hanmer.
This beautiful resort town in Canterbury, surrounded by mountains and with a neighbouring Heritage Forest, caters for both types, so you can happily wave goodbye to each other in the morning and meet up in one of the many superb restaurants in the evening with your relationship intact.
Let’s start with the adventurous person for whom no day is complete unless it has included hours of physical activity in the great outdoors.
Make no mistake about it, Hanmer has got the great outdoors absolutely nailed.
Warm up with a gentle walk down Amberley beach before taking yourself off into the Heritage Forest and reminding yourself why New Zealand has such a well-deserved reputation for preserving the very best of its vast green expanses.
With luck the fantails will accompany you as you walk the trail winding to a lookout point and point out features of interest.
You may stride out as fast as you like, but those in the know tend to take it a little easier on the walk, pausing to sit on the giant mushrooms and admire the art in the forest.
It’s an easy 30-minute return walk along flat easy tracks, so perfectly designed for groups that include toddlers, with or without their buggy, and those who left their most vigorous years behind them.
For those for whom no break is complete without some whiteknuckle action, there’s the rugged Waiau Gorge known for its white-water rapids to the south and the opportunity to tease salmon and trout on the end of your line or hike the Kowai River Walking Track.
But wait – we haven’t even started yet.
You’ll just have enough time to travel downhill at speed with a spot of mountain biking, test your skills on a horse trek, fit in some jet boating and leave firm ground to hurl yourself into the wild blue yonder on the end of a bungy before getting changed for dinner.
That’s the real joy of Hanmer; a complete immersion in such a diverse range of recreational activities within a picture-perfect setting.