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 Holidays
are such a fabulous, fabulous thing. If only we had more of them!!! And what better
than to be able to travel about this beautiful country of ours and see what an
awesome environment we are so lucky to live in!
Hanmer Springs is one of
the hotspots of tourism in the South Island - literally. Hot Springs - mineral
thermal waters - bubble up from deep below the earth's surface. People come from
far and wide to bathe in these waters - to relax and ease achies and pains. Achies
and pains??? Well, you just might have a few from all the awesom crazy adventure
stuff you can do in this gorgeous town... Hanmer is in the Hurunui District, inland from the East Coast
at the start of the mountain ranges. It is about 90 minutes drive from Christchurch
and 90 minutes from Kaikoura. There are shuttle bus services to and from both
available. Nestled in a beautiful forest and surrounded by mountains, it's a lovely
wee alpine village. Hanmer is great cos it caters for all budgets - from campsites
to high class hotels and everything in-between, ie: backpackers, holiday homes
for rent, and motels. Basically there's something for everyone! And, if you're
really pushed for time, it is possible to go just for the day from Christchurch
or Kaikoura. There
is SO MUCH to do in Hanmer Springs it is unreal. While it sort of started as a
winter alpine resort, Hanmer has become a year-round adventure town that is supreme
in summer and wild in winter: - Obviously, the big attraction in the
heart of the town is the Thermal Reserve. Here you will find thermal pools, sulphur
pools as well as a shole fresh water pool recreation area. Great in summer to
go down the water slides etc in the freshwater and in winter to dare each other
to go into the cold water pool after a spell in the lovely warm thermal pools.
- But
Hanmer isn't all just about hot water. Just down the road back towards Christchurch
you'll find "Thrillseekers Canyon" - and that's exactly what it is.
Here you can go bungy jumping or go on a jetboat ride on the Waiau Gorge, or alternatively
raft down the river.
- Hanmer Forest is a beautiful forest that is
also an outdoor person's dream only minutes from the centre of the village. You
can mountain bike through the forest, or walk one of the many trails. Or, if you're
not up to being physical, there is a lovely drive through it too!!
- In
winter, you could go skiing at either the Hanmer Springs Ski Area or the Mt Lyford
Ski Area.
- Hanmer is also the unofficial home of mini-golf. There are at
least three different mini-golf courses in the town! And tehre is a fabulous regular
golf course too.
- You can ride on many-a-thing in Hanmer - you could go
on a mountain bike ride, or a motorbike (if you're old enough!), or a four-wheel-drive
tour, or what about a horse trek? Horses are available to cater to all ability
levels (yes, even if you've never been on a horse before) and you can go trek
through the forest, mountain and river areas. BEAUTIFUL!!!
- If you really
wanna blow the budget, you could even go on a helicopter ride!
- The again,
if you just wanna have a chilled out time, go check out their day-spa facilities,
or just sit back and read a book - surrounded by awesome scenery.
The
Hanmer Springs Thermal Reserve won the 2002 New Zealand Tourism Awards' people's
choice award, and over half a million people visit hanmer each year. Why don't
you visit and see why?!
The cafe scene in Hanmer has really taken off in the last
few years and there are now many flash cafes to choose from and a couple of really
fine dining restaurants. There's also a Four Square supermarket so you can stock
up on supplies to take on a picnic or to cook up where you're staying, and the
bakery makes a mean pie (including a fab kumara and cashew one for those of you
who don't fancy eating meat). There's also pizza, Indian, and fish n' chip shops.
All tastes catered for!!!
Your local tourist information centre will be able to get
details for you, or check out http://www.hurunui.com - the district's website.
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