Mike Yardley: Spark up your spirit in Hanmer Springs

One of the alluring, unmistakable truths about Hanmer Springs is that the gorgeous alpine haven has stayed true to its roots. It’s been a sanctuary for the weary and the leisure-seeking for centuries. With a long and storied legacy as a hot-spot for healing mind, body and soul, Hanmer Springs proudly remains a premium alpine spa destination, whether you’re a loved-up couple looking for a weekend escape, treating the whole family to some elemental treats, or you’re after some personal pampering. And it’s just an easy90 minute drive from Christchurch Airport, through the bucolic North Canterbury hinterland. Nature is the unbeatable balm to sooth the soul and spark your spirits in this secluded high-country basin.

My first stop was at the resort village’s crowning glory, Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa. With a lustrous back-story, the hot springs were developed as a publicly-owned bathhouse in 1884, fortuitously chiming with that insatiable Victorian passion for geothermal water and its therapeutic qualities. Prior to that, pounamu-gathering Māori had used the area as a resting place for centuries, while returning soldiers were sent to Hanmer to recuperate, after both world wars. (It’s great to see the historic old Soldiers’ Block, next to the pools, is currently being restored and set to reopen on Anzac Day.)

Hanmer Springs is my runaway favourite place to get into hot water. But before surrendering to the sweet sensation of this watery wonderland, my body was in need of some professional panel-beating, so I headed to The Spa Hanmer Springs. It’s one of New Zealand’s busiest day spas, so book in advance and take your pick from the slew of exquisite treatments, from facials and feet retreats to the full body affair.  I was booked in for a Spa Signature Massage, which is a full body relaxation massage.

But as I chatted to my charming therapist Sophie about my various aches and pains, she switched up the treatment into a deep tissue recovery massage. Spending copious hours on the keyboard and long-distance driving, plus several days of line-trimming my jungle-like garden into a presentable state had all taken its toll. Over the course of an hour, Sophie’s skilful techniques dealt to all the knots in my lower back, and released the stress and strain from my muscles. It was a liberating, corrective massage and I floated out of the spa like a happy little cloud. 

Luring over half a million visitors annually, the adjoining thermal pools complex is a sizzling attraction, where you can hop-scotch between the 22-strong network of rockpools, aqua therapy pools and sulphur pools. The latter are completely natural, containing unfiltered mineral water, with a soft and silky feel and piping hot at 42-45C.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from Newstalk.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
ZEDB eighteen past eleven on Newstalks edbur Travel correspondence Mike Yardley,
and he's with us now.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
Hi Mike, good morning Jack. Fantastic news about the baby.
And I'm particularly impressed your son has been introduced to
Champions Trophy cricket so early in his life. I hope
he becomes the nation's good luck charm for the next
few weeks.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, yeah, this is it's funny you mentioned that, right,
because obviously we are a big cricketing family. Certainly my
side of the family are keen cricketing fans. And so
it's funny because we were at Orcan Central Hospital and
then after you've been at Auckland Hospital you can be
discharged to birth Care and Parnell, which is just on
the other side of the domain if you know Central Auckland.

(00:52):
And so the thing about the domain is they have
lots of cricket pitches at this time of year. So
once once we had been discharged, so we watched the
Champions Trophy and then once we've been discharged and the
nursers said, oh, I feel free to take him outside
for a bit of walk, get a little bit of
sunshine on him, I said, okay, And I'm pleased to
report that not only has he watched a Champions Trophy match,

(01:13):
he's also spent an hour in the domain watching a
bit of social cricket in person.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
So there you.

Speaker 4 (01:18):
Goroots, Yes, exactly, very much, grassroots, very much, grassroots going
to watch a bit of T twenty, but a social
tea twenty on Thursday night, So that was that was
a bit of fun.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Yeah, hey, y, anyway, don't rush, don't don't rush to
get him to watch the Crusaders.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Going to say, better cricket than the Vietnam moment as
far as I'm concerned.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
At the very last.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Hey, we're focusing on Cannoby this morning though, and the
the hinterland treats in the Hurunui district and so this
is the sort of area in North Canterbury kind of
inland a little bit. And you've been jet boating on
the Wyo River, Haggard, was.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
That absolutely superb jackets The first time I have taken
a blast down that magnificent braided river. So this is
the river that starts in Lewis pass by the Spencer
Mountains actually, and then just charges across the Hirnui landscape.
In places that river, the rapids, man, they can be

(02:14):
quite frisky, and I had this driver Karen. He was
a wizard behind the wheel, even though he said to
me this is only my second day on the job,
which added a bit of a frizzon to the experience.
But it's such a scenically thrilling ride because you go
from narrow gorges to braided shallows. And last week when

(02:34):
I was there, it was just the most beautifully sunny day,
so that water it just shimmered like liquid jade. But
aside from the thrills and the spells, it is such
a novel advantage point to just soak up that landscape
and all of its sort of layered richness in the area.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, the rock formations are pretty impressive.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
A they are really impressive. So just south of the
Wyo Faery Bridge, which is that bridge leading you into
hand the springs the gorge, the Wyo Gorge, it has
these fast noting rock walls and the terraces particularly is
where I really got my geological Jolly's Jack Marble point

(03:15):
is the highlight. So there are these limestone rock outcrops
that sort of tumble across the countryside and then rising
up from the river banks outcrops of red tinted recrystallized limestone.
So back in the day, apparently it was sold as
Hemma marble. And then as you look at these rock terraces,

(03:35):
you can also see the Hope fault line, and beneath
that a fossil line imprinted in the rock, and that
has unearthed all manner of ancient marine fossils dating back
thirty million years when apparently the river was actually a beach.
So that was all quite enough to blow my mind.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. Other hot pools cranking and hand
miss springs at the moment or is it kind of
too hot?

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Curious you ask Jack, because when I was there last week,
the mercury was nudging thirty degrees, But there are hundreds
of people quite happy to sizzle themselves in that piping
hot water, which I thought was a bit weird. But
then again, you've got the cold pools there as well
if you need to cool off, so twenty two poles
at that complex to hop scotch your way through. Then
you've got the water slides it is such a perennial

(04:26):
people attractor, the thermal poles and spa, but I reckon
it's definitely best at night when the temperatures have dipped,
or even better when you've got a bit of dappled
snow on the mountain range. But it's just such a
runaway hit that complex.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
And tell us about your spa experience.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Well, the SPA at Hanmer Springs is one of New
Zealand's busiest spas, so people go crazy there, put their
facials into have a feet retreat apparently as a big
thing jacker feet retreat, or you can have the full
body of fear. So I was booked in for this
standard message right, a relaxation message, but as I chatted

(05:08):
to my therapist Sophie, who was fantastic, I started listing
off all of my various complaints and she she switched
it up into a deep tissue recovery message, which was
the most searing, transformative and most brutal body batting experience
I've ever encountered. But I felt so liberated an hour

(05:30):
later and I just floated out of the joints like
a happy little cloud.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, probably because you please, but no, that does sounds
sounds good every once in a while sounds like a
bit of me too, so we would use some good spots.
What would be your recommendations for good kai in Himna.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
Well, there is a place which is like a one
stop shop for you Jack Fudge Gelato, so yeah, it's
like a double dip fresh and premi fudge and gelato.
But for top notch, definitely dying at number thirty one

(06:07):
on the main street in Hammer, I tried the beetroot aranchini,
which was absolutely stuffed with an almond and cheese filling. God,
they're so good. The mains were dominated by locally sourced meats,
but definitely leave room for dessert. The warm, sticky licorice
pudding so good, and then the creative cocktails. I tried

(06:30):
a mushroom sour, which is like a modern take on
a whiskey sour, I know, and it's infused with mushroom powder.
So the idea is you get like the earthy richness
of the fungi with the classic blend of whiskey lemon
and a creamy egg white froth. So it's savory and
e't citrucy and it's really good.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Wow, Okay, yeah, I do. You know, mushrooms are one
of the one of the few things I don't like eating.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
Seriously, I thought you'd be a mushroom man.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
Mushrooms and just never have been. I'm always like, why
would you eat from us? You know? But then I
suppose I like blue cheese, so I don't know anyway,
So yeah, I'm not show I'm going to leap at
that option, but sounds that there'll be some other creative
little options for me. And if you grow vineyards, what
would be your recommendations for wineries.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
In Yes indeed? Yeah, Well the Wipe Pit of Valley
of course, big wine country, so lots of little boutique vineyards.
I'm a big fan of George's Road Wines, particularly if
you like Sarah or Peno Gree or Rose. Everyone seems
to love rose at this time of year. Another great
winery stop is tall Less, once again, very small boutique vineyard,

(07:40):
and they do exceptional rose. But I really like the
Omah Road pen and Noir. So if you're having a
week tasting, add the pen and wa to you to
your list. It's all cherries and raspberries and plums. It's
just a delicious pinot.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
Jack sounds fantastic. Okay, thank you. We will put all
of those tips for exploring the hinterland treats in the
Hodnui district up on the News Talks. He'd be We've done.
Catch you next WEEKNIGHTE Thank you. Jack. Mike, a travel correspondent.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
There for more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen
live to News Talks at B from nine am Saturday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio