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netGallery > Jon and Sarah > World_Tour_2006 > New Zealand > Mount Cook and Hanmer Springs

Mount Cook and Hanmer Springs

New Zealand

April 2007

MOUNT COOK AND HANMER SPRINGS

Mount Cook stands at 3764 metres tall and is the highest of the mountains in New Zealand, so we decided to pay it a visit. After another long drive we arrived at the nearest town of Twizel. I know, what a fabulous name, Twizel. By now, driving for up to five or six hours a day was getting tiring, but with so much to see in a short time, we had no choice.

At Twizel, the camp site on offer quite simply wasn’t up to scratch. Instead we paid over the odds to stay at a run of the mill Holiday Inn style hotel. The camper van was parked outside our room and to save money we slipped out to it and cooked our supper, before retiring to a warm room with shower and TV… oh the simple pleasures.

Sunday morning we were up and speeding towards Mount Cook, which by the way is named after a certain Captain James Cook. On route we passed another bizarre signpost pointing to a place called Hooker Valley. I was eager to go and see if it lived up to its name but Sarah rather strangely wasn’t keen.

We only wanted to tackle an easy grade walk so went straight to the information office for advice. We were told of a nice two to three hour flat-ish trek and set off after a light lunch. We actually walked over very rocky terrain for over three hours, along the glacial river, over rope bridges and eventually to the viewpoint of the glacier itself. After all this effort we didn’t even get a view of Mount Cook due to low cloud and drizzle. We left here feeling slightly cheated and felt even more so the next day when we woke to the clearest bluest day possible. Sadly by now we were out of the region, so no postcard shot was taken.

It was now bank holiday Monday and we had a great drive on an inland scenic highway, through rolling hills, farmland and vineyards. We stopped at Hamner Springs, which is a popular weekend resort for locals who like to participate in hiking, riding, climbing, rafting, bungy jumping or simply relaxing in the natural springs. As we arrived late and were due to be elsewhere the next day so all we had time for was a 9pm visit to the large natural spring park. After dark it got quite chilly so we fully expected to find the spa empty. Wrong! Being bank holiday, it was packed.

Its an outside complex and has a massive choice of different pools, in all sorts of shapes, sizes and more importantly temperatures. Cooler larger pools for kids with slides and fountains, curvy discrete pools with small bridges, hidden nooks and crannies and your regular hot steamy Jacuzzis and swimming pools. It was cold enough once you left the changing room in just your swimmers, but once you had chosen a nice hot tub and submerged yourself, it took a lot of courage and willpower to get back out again. It was absolutely freezing when your body resurfaced and was fully exposed to the chilly night air. It looked almost surreal as people climbed out of pools and tubs, their bodies literally steaming so much that you might think they were on fire. I’ve not been that cold for ages as I was when scooting back to the lockers, rapidly fumbling to get the door open and retire to the sanctuary of the warm changing rooms! As you can imagine we left feeling rather awake and exhilarated, so watched TV in the common room until we felt sleepy. Night night.