Amuri Estate Retreat

HANMER SPRINGS

by balhannah

"Another thermal spring destination"

Hanmer Springs, is the name of this Alpine town, and the name of the Springs.

Considered one of New Zealand's favourite retreats, Hanmer Springs is a

picturesque alpine village situated in a high country basin 385m above

sea level.

Hanmer Springs has over 50km of forest tracks with many designed for

light/easy walking, the thermal pools, beauty and massage treatments,

scenic flights, mini golf, professional golf course and much more.

Hanmer action comes in a variety of modes from jet boating on the

Waiau river to horse trekking, mountain biking, ski-ing and rock-climbing to

name just a few!

Hanmer Springs is a wonderful year round destination with amazing

colour, we just missed the best Autumn Colours!

It is also close to the Hanmer Springs ski area and the Mt Lyford ski area.

The Lewis Pass travels through the Lewis Pass National Park, and this is a

very pretty drive to do.

HANMER SPRINGS WAS LOVELY! creating a pictorial travelling route for .

Pure bliss! - from my travel journal

by RavPadfoot

"Close shave"

The driver dropped me off at the info centre and I got my passes etc. I walked to the motor lodge after making a wrong, cold turn & settled in. I then headed out to the thermal pools & hopped in. Ahhh! I stayed for about 2 hours as day turned to night & the Southern sky sparkled above me. I then got dressed & went to the adjacent cafe where the manager said they wre too full for one more order (I wanted soup) so I was in a snit. I went to several restaurants but nothing looked good so i walked back to my room. My door was wide open & my heart leaped. OMG, my wallet, my purse, my passport, all in the room. Amazingly, my wallet and everything else were right where I'd left them. The door wasn't locked properly but I'm in New Zealand! Someone had joked before that the NZ police station was just a lost & found & I'm in agreement. Wow, was I lucky. I came in & turned on the TV. "That Thing You Do" was on so I watched that & ran next door to order soup. This time, no problem. I ate it & headed back, walking under the brilliant stars, too cold to stargaze long.

"Next Day"

It's 2:00 pm & I'm in Hanmer Springs for 3 more hours. I'm at the only cafe in town with internet access & I'm waiting to use the computer. Last night my bed had an electric blanket & I was so happy! The motel was really nice. I had a separate room with a bed & a living room & kitchen. The woman running the motel was so nice! This morning she brought me breakfast at 8:00 & I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast watching the news and reading the paper. I then headed to the Powerhouse Cafe and got online. I had a really yummy cappucchino & then headed over to the thermal pools for my steam and massage. I first did the steam, which I'd selected over a sauna. I'd never had a steam before and I'm not sure I'll repeat the experience. The steam was so hot! Ouch! It felt good though & the time flew by. From there I had my first massage ever & it was really good too. I then walked around & looked at the shops & had yummy yummy fish & chips. I really do have to stop eating like this but they're just so darn good. And this leads me to where I am right now, sitting at the cafe waiting to use the only computer in town.

"Helpful Discovery!"

After I finished online I headed out again & wandered around. I discovered that the library had a computer as well so i went in & waited again. It was a small quaint library that had a gallery displaying paintings of sheep. My favorite was of a row of sheep going up the hill in the snow. You know you're in NZ when ... ;) The library stank of urine unfortunately so I didn't feel the urge to linger but I did get online to email a friend. After email I went & got my backpack from the motel & headed out to wait for the bus.