Hanmer Springs and Lewis Pass, NZ                                   February 3, 2000

About 2 hours northwest of Christchurch is the lovely resort town of Hanmer Springs.  It's situated in a valley in the foothills of the Southern Alps, see the picture at left.  The town boasts a large complex of pools filled with slightly sulfurous springs water at temperatures range from 30-39 C (86 -102 F).  A long soak felt terrific after our round of golf at Hanmer's fine, sporty course.  In winter, nearby ski fields are a major attraction.  I'm sure that sitting in one of the pools on a frigid July or August day surrounded by snow covered mountains would be a real Kiwi treat.

There’s a river outside of town with a narrow bridge over a wide, deep gorge.  This is where folks go rafting, jet boating, and bungy jumping.  Once we checked it out our friend, Colleen, who has joined us for 2 weeks, decided she’d give the latter a try!  After paying her money (I think they should pay you), she walked onto the bridge, got the leg harnesses strapped around her ankles, and had a look over the edge.  Before she could chicken out, the starter said "put your arms up, and when I count 1, 2, 3, Bungy, off you go."  And sure enough, 1, 2, 3, Bungy later, she jumped.  And now she’s got the film and the tee shirt to prove it!  Dick and I decided we’d wait for the next opportunity, which will be down in Queenstown next week. It's 3X as high as this jump, about 40 stories down!

After spending the night at a lovely B&B up on the hillside, we hiked up (and down) the local mountain and then drove into the Alps.  Forty-five minutes later we found a "track" for another hike.  It provided a few different habitats and some lovely views.  One of the best parts was this shaky, wire foot bridge over a narrow portion of this river.  Colleen got a picture of me crossing, while Dick waits his turn in the background.  It's a one-person bridge, and we weren't planning to break the rules.

On the way back from Hanmer, there are wineries and beaches to stop at, so there's plenty to keep one busy.  As you can tell, we've found Christchurch to be a lovely starting point for a number of short trips.  The next one is to Akaroa.