Hanmer Springs, NZ

Thursday, February 27

In an effort to RV all over New Zealand’s South Island in 50 days, we’re zig-zagging back to the east coast today crossing Lewis Pass. One large mountain range called the Southern Alps divide the South Island, and Lewis Pass is the northernmost of the three passes that cross the Southern Alps.

This morning, we left Nelson Creek Campground near Greymouth by 9:00am. We planned to stop for the night in Hanmer Springs which is a resort town on the other side of the mountain. Hanmer Springs is known for its thermal hot springs and pools. There were other hot springs resorts in the mountains, but Hanmer Springs looked to be the most kid-friendly.

It’s amazing how quickly the landscape changes when driving in New Zealand’s South Island. This morning, it was sunny and warm in Nelson Creek near the coast, then temperatures quickly dropped to 15 degrees C (60 degrees F) in the mountains not even two hours later. There was some construction on Lewis Pass which slowed down traffic, but the green forest was beautiful.

In Hanmer Springs, Andi parked the RV near the hot springs and we ate a quick snack lunch inside our rig. We find that it’s much easier to eat in our RV vs. take the kids out to lunch/dinner. Deli meat, cheese, french bread, raw veggies and fruit is the way to go.

After lunch, we bought passes to the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools. This was a great facility for families; think: thermal hot springs means water park. There were about 10 different pools ranging in size and temperature — some sulphur pools were hotter and more suited for adults (although kids were allowed in all of pools but one). There was also a kids area with water slides, activity pool and a lazy river. Andi and I were surprised Hanmer Springs allowed people to bring in their own food & beverages. We didn’t, but theoretically you could pack a picnic lunch and stay all day. The only catch is, there is no re-entry once you leave the facility.

Tory liked the lazy river best, so we spent a lot of our time floating on rafts in the current. The water wasn’t super warm though, so every once in a while Andi and I would convince the kids to follow us to one of the warmer sulphur pools.

Andi and Aden ripped down the big water slides a few times, and Aden really liked playing in the activity pool where most of the kids were. It wasn’t super busy in any of the pools which was nice (maybe since it was a Thursday afternoon?), and became even more deserted as the day rolled on.

Around 5:00pm, Andi got dressed and left to go buy groceries in Hanmer Springs. I stayed at the pool with the kids and let them swim. We were super impressed with the attentiveness of the lifeguards at the Hanmer Springs Pool. When Andi and I decided to get out of the pool and let the kids continue swimming, a lifeguard approached Tory and Aden right away and asked where their parents were. Andi was sitting on the side of the pool watching the kids while I changed into dry clothes so they were never left alone, but the lifeguard noticed right away that Tory and Aden were in the pool without their parents.

Andi grabbed take-out for dinner while he shopped for groceries. After I dragged the kids out of the pool around 5:30pm, we met Andi back at the RV and ate dinner at a picnic table nearby. We were all hungry after swimming all day!

After dinner, we continued on to the Top 10 Holiday Park in Hanmer Springs. Tory and Aden love the Top 10 locations because they have nice playgrounds and there’s always a lot of kids to play with. We got settled into our spot for the night, the kids played, and Andi and I relaxed. A great day in Hanmer Springs!