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Published: March 1st 2009
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26th February 2009 - HOT POOLS IN HANMER.....LUSH!!!
Nat drove us to Hanmer Springs. It was a dry sunny day and so the scenery was back on top form!! Awesome!! It took a couple of hours to get there and surprisingly I managed to stay awake for the journey despite a distinct lack of sleep the previous night!! Hanmer was a pretty small town....a few shops, a library, some gardens and the reason we had gone.....Hanmer Springs Spa!! Relaxation coming up!!
First things first, we checked into the hostel...another YHA. Once again it was a home from home. Clean and tidy, light, big kitchen, no bunk beds and just a generally nice feel about it. Once settled in we had a wander around the town, got some bits from the supermarket and then went back and had lunch. A healthy fruit and yoghurt for me. Can't believe I am sticking to this lent business...passed so many ice cream shops and I haven't had one yet....roll on Fiji!! After lunch we changed and headed out to the Spa. Brill!!
There were loads of pools dotted around all different temperatures. We went in one of the hot pools to begin with.
So nice, especially as the sun was starting to go down and it was fairly cold outside of the water. The first pool was around 39 degrees and toasty. We sat in there for a good while before overheating slightly and trying one of the cooler rock pools at only 36 degrees. Still warm but more manageable for a longer period.....ooh..it's a tough old life!! We spent a couple of hours checking out different pools. The sulphur pool was the hottest but also smelt like Rotorua......rotten eggs!! I couldn't stand it for long. My favourite one was the one we started in and so we finished off our time there in the same pool and did a bit of reading whilst we were at it. You could pay more for treatments (not on a travellers budget) and a private pool but as we were the only ones in it anyway it didn't make any odds. Such a lazy nice afternoon and very welcome!! We should probably plan a return visit for when we finish our biking tour of the south island but don't think there will be time!! A hot shower will have to suffice...if we're lucky!!
We got
back to the hostel at around 7ish and just chilled out for the rest of the evening. We cooked a tasty rice dinner to use up the last of our ingredients and I cut my pepper the way I had been told to by dave..one of the Hull guys because it was so much easier and quicker. Thanks Dave but I prefer my method and will stick to it in future. Note to self....should know better than to take a guy from Hulls advice on cooking of all things!!. There was amn amazing invention though...an electric tin opener...get me one of these!! Awesome!! We then spent time chatting, journal writing and listening to some tunes. Not really a place to go out in and to be honest I needed some sleep after my bad run of sharing rooms with snorers! Think I went to bed at around 9.30 and it wasn't long before I was away with the fairies.
The sleep was interrupted again by the dreaded sand fly bites that just keep springing up. I had to keep applying the cream and stop myself from itching! It required a lot of self restraint and I only wish I
had as much restraint with other things!! I had an ace dream whilst I was asleep though...I was a contestant on Tekisha's Castle and I got through to the final. The final didn't involve the usual storming castle end though...I had to do the big bungee in Queenstown. So scary. I woke up just as I was perched on the edge so I never found out if I jumped or not!! I guess we'll find out for real in a few weeks!!
27th February 2009 - GOODBYE HANMER!!!
Not much going on this morning. We basically got up, showered, dressed and had breakfast before checking out. We had to be in Christchurch by 11 to return the car and sort out picking the bikes up. Not sure if I was excited or not but that was the plan!! We set off at 9........it would be my last drive and I hoped it would all go smoothly!! Goodbye Hanmer...Hello Christchurch!!!
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