Hanmer Springs

I always thought that the spelling of Hanmer Springs was a little unusual.  To me, it is more natural to say Hamner than Hanmer.  Am I the only one?

More than Hot Pools in Hanmer Springs

There is no doubting that Hanmer Springs is synonymous with the Hanmer Springs Hot Pools. 

Hanmer Springs has turned into a resort town and an attractive year-round holiday destination for adventure, relaxation and indulgence.

Although we like a good old soak as much as anyone, it wasn’t the main attraction for our visit to Hanmer Springs this time.

The town is surrounded by dramatic mountains and towering forests.  There are some pretty amazing walking tracks and cycle trails that we were keen to experience.

For the more adventurous (and maybe not so budget wary) there is also bungy jumping, jet boating horse trekking, a round or two of golf or skiing in the winter.

Location

It is only a 90-minute drive from Christchurch but we were coming from the other direction.  Our house sitting assignment in Tapawera had come to an end so we were looking forward to getting back on the road.

It was to be a 263km drive for us to get to Hanmer Springs so we decided to break the journey by overnighting at the NZMCA Park in Murchison (#6317).

Back at the NZMCA Park at Murchison. Just a bit wet and bleak!!

We have had a great stay in Murchison earlier in the year.  Click here to read all about our previous stay in Murchison and just what there is to see and do in the and around the surrounding area.

Lewis Pass

Between us and Hamner Springs was the Lewis Pass.  

It is the northernmost of the three main passes across the Southern Alps.  It’s higher than the Haast Pass but not quite as high as Arthur’s Pass.

The scenery is spectacular and it boasts extensive beech forests.  The entire area around Lewis Pass is a protected national reserve.

For the tired traveller, there is a stopover at the Maruia Hot Springs but we made our pit stop at the Alpine Nature Walk.  This is a short loop track which is part of the extensive St James Walkway.

A photographer’s dream trail

Just a 20-minute walk along a well-formed track and we were treated to alpine wetlands and tarn (a tarn is a mountain lake, pond or pool formed by a glacier).

There is nothing quite like an alpine tarn

Can’t think of a better backdrop

There were many information boards along the track which explained the different plant life.  We learnt that there are 5 different species of beech trees and they all grow in the Lewis Pass (very uncommon).  Apparently the altitude suits all of them and they flourish in the landscape.

Great information boards to help us identify the different Beech trees in the area

Our Home for Three Nights

We were fortunate enough to be able to stay at the Hanmer River Bridge NZMCA Park (#7224).  It is a bit out of town (approximately 7km).  It’s not an issue for us having a separate vehicle but if you are in a campervan, you would want to make sure you have supplies onboard unless you want to make a trip into town.

All settled in at the NZMCA Park with our neighbours

It’s a nice large and flat site and the dump station and freshwater 4.5km towards town.

If you want to be closer to town, there are a few options to choose from.  If you are a member of the NZMCA, check out the App to see what’s available or click on the links for Hanmer Springs Top 10 Holiday Park, The Pines Holiday Park and Alpine Holiday Apartments and Camping Ground.

Walkways

As mentioned earlier, we were keen to check out some of the Hanmer Springs walkways that can easily be found close to the town centre.

Get yourself a good map, available at the iSite by the hot pools

Conical Hill Walk

We parked our vehicle in the town centre and walked a short 600m to the start of the Conical Hill Walk to a lookout.  As with any lookout, there is an uphill slog to endure to get to the treasure at the top.

It is a very popular walk so the track is well-formed, albeit a tad muddy in places.  As it is a zigzag track, the incline is not too steep, rather a constant climb (which believe it or not, makes it a bit easier).  Depending on how fast or slow you walk (and how many photo-stops you make), it will take you around 30 minutes to reach the top.

The start of the track from the township end

At the summit (550m) the panoramic view is worth the effort.  The view stretches out across the flat valley to the mountains in the distance.  The township is obscured a little by the tall surrounding trees but you can get glimpses of the town on the track on the way up.

Panoramic views from the summit

Majuba Walk

On our descent back down the trail, we diverted off to take the Majuba Walk.  This rather unusual name stems from the massacre at Majuba Hill, at the first Boer War, where Hanmer men fought.

The Majuba Walk is more a pass-through route on the way between the other trails.  It also offers some nice views around the lower slopes of Mt Isobel.  We wandered through stands of Douglas Fir which were planted in 1961.

Woodlands Walk

The Majuba Walk did indeed, lead us onto the next track, Woodlands and Forest Walks.  

This boasts some of the oldest stands of exotic trees, most of which were planted in the early 1900s.  Not being an expert on tree varieties, it was handy that there were many signs indicating the different species.  The newer spring growth on the trees provided us with bright greens and blossoms.  An autumn walk would be just as impressive as the colours change with the seasons.

Each trail offers something different to see

This track joined up with Dog Stream Trail which eventually leads us back onto the main road and completed the loop back to our vehicle.  The entire loop was 10km.

Get on yah Bike

Now if you are into cycling, then there are many choices for you.  Depending on your skill, ability and fitness, there are mountain bike trails for the extreme riders, down to the ‘easy rider’ trails.  There is also a loop track you can do around the town centre.

Time and weather started to close in on us so we didn’t utilise any of the cycle tracks but we crossed over many of them while on our hike.

Check out all your options, whether cycling or hiking by clicking on the link here. 

Hitting the back trails – Jollie’s Pass

We woke to a ‘not so great’ weather forecast with strong gusty southerlies with a chance of hail.  Not something you want to hear when you are contemplating a high country cycle trip to do part of the St James Cycle Trail.

Pretty spectacular scenery along the road to Molesworth

Instead, we headed out in the ute to explore some back-country 4×4 trails in the same vicinity.  The Jollie’s Pass joined us up Acheron Road which can take you through Molesworth Reaction Reserve (207km one way).   Unfortunately for us, it was the week before Labour Weekend which is the official opening of the road (through to the second Sunday in April or Easter Sunday, whichever comes first).  Dam, it will have to be a roadie we’ll do next time we’re in the area.

No caravans, buses or vehicles over 7 m long, and you need a permit to tow a trailer.

If you want to learn more about Acheron Road, Molesworth Station, click here for more information.

Jollie’s Pass can be accessed from Hanmer Springs.  Not far out of town we found the warning signs regarding high clearance and 4×4 vehicles only.  This is not to be confused with Jack’s Pass (Clarence Valley Rd) which is suitable for most vehicle types.

Make sure you are in a ‘fit for purpose’ vehicle before driving Jollie’s Pass

Yup, it wasn’t long before we found out why.  There were certainly some deep ruts and steep climbs to navigate.  No wonder we didn’t encounter any other vehicle from start to end.

We did manage to get partway up Acheron Road to a camping area beside where the Archeron and Clarence Rivers join.  There was a large solid chain across the access road to Molesworth Station.

This was as far as we could go – will have to save Molesworth for next time!

St James Homestead

We backtracked to the road which took us to the St James Homestead.  This is where many start/finish the St James Walkway.  This is also certainly something we want to do on our return.

The entire trail is 69km one way but you can choose to do sections, returning to your starting point.  Pick your sections depending on your ability, fitness and time constraints as parts of the trail range from Grade 2 (easy) to Grade 4 (advanced).  There is also an easier track (15km loop) from the homestead.

As we got out of the ute to wander around, the blustery southerly hit us head-on!  We both agreed that we had come to the correct decision, not to tackle the track today!

There’s some history at the old St James Homestead

If you would like to learn more about the St James Walkway, click here for more information.

So, yes, there is much more to Hanmer Springs than soaking the hot pools.  There is certainly some unfinished business for us in Hanmer Springs and we hope to return to do justice to the area – if mother nature plays fair with the weather next time!

We returned back to Hanmer Springs via Jack’s Pass.  Now, this road is suitable for most vehicles and is the main access to the start of the St James Walkway.  It is gravel but has been well maintained.

Click on the link below to view a video on some of our highlights.