Nature is an unmatched balm to replenish your spirits and soothe the soul.  Hanmer Springs is a byword for pampered healing. North Canterbury’s premium alpine spa destination has a long and lustrous legacy as a vacation haven. Just a quick 90 minute hop from Christchurch, turn off SH1 at Waipara for the inland drive on SH7 to Hanmer, rolling through the Weka Pass. It is a cinematically mood-enhancing drive, with an underrated escapist landscape.  

Wizard hat-shaped alpine peaks shuffle into view, interspersed with lush green pastures, rolling tussocks, rushing rivers and the whimsical scattering of limestone outcrops like the highway-hugging Frog Rock. Crossing the Waiau Gorge bridge, into the high-country Amuri basin that Hanmer is situated in, a blissed-out sense of surrender washed over me. This broad bowl of earth-brown farmland is spectacularly encircled by imperial mountain ranges, streaked in snow deep into spring, with slender fingers of mist adding to the scenery most mornings.  

This alpine village of vitality has faithfully served as a sanctuary for the weak, weary and leisure-seeking for centuries.  Not only have travelling Māori used the area as a resting place for a 500 years, but returning soldiers were sent to Hanmer to recuperate, after both world wars.  Even though Māori first discovered the naturally occurring hot spring water many centuries ago, William Jones was the first European to do so in 1859. The springs were developed as a publicly owned health spa in 1883, fortuitously chiming with the insatiable Victorian passion for geothermal water and its therapeutic qualities.  

Hamner Springs Thermal Pools. Photo / Supplied

Back then, the amenities didn’t extend beyond a tin shed for segregated naked bathing. Fast forward to the present day and Hanmer is still the premier destination to get into hot water. Luring over half a million visitors annually, Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa is a sizzling watery wonderland, where you can hop-scotch between the 20-plus network of rockpools, aquatherapy 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.  

You can also laze in the highly sociable hexagonal pools, loll about in the freshwater lap pool and lazy river, or enjoy some high-action spills on the waterslides, headlined by New Zealand’s biggest waterslide, Conical Thrill. The complex has also recently installed two state-of-the-art hydroslides. The previous slides clocked up 25 years of service and 17 million rides! Less than a year old, Violet Vortex and Waiau Winder are loaded with flashy features inside the slides, featuring LED lights, projection images and strip lighting. So good! 

Conical Thrill at Hamner Springs Thermal Pools. Photo / Visit Hurunui

In addition to the pools, New Zealand’s busiest day spa offers a slew of exquisite treatments, from facials to the full body affair. My body was treated to some prize-winning primping, preening and panel-beating. You can’t beat a hot-stone massage. For extra-pampering, the Artisan Spa is a standalone luxury day spa facility that operates in the Village shopping centre, lining Hanmer’s main street. After enjoying some body therapy, surrender to some retail therapy from the eye-catching assortment of independent boutiques, homeware and gift stores.  

Two-wheeled and two-footed pursuits are a big draw in Hanmer and the wider Hurunui, including the Hurunui Heartland Cycle Ride. The 205km-long on-road cycle route uses minor roads from Leithfield and Amberley to connect with Kaikoura, through scenic heartland countryside. Then there’s the Hanmer Trails network, which takes full advantage of Hanmer Forest, with over 70km of dedicated walking, mountain-biking and horse-riding trails. From the easiest trails to the most extreme, there’s a track to suit you. If you’re travelling with kids, the Hanmer Heritage Forest, off Jollies Pass Road, includes the animal sculpture trail on the Forest Amble walk. These whimsical wooden sculptures were created by Christchurch sculptor, Andrew Lyons, crafted out of a felled Redwood. They’re designed to delight and surprise walkers along the Forest Amble walk. The sculptures include a friendly giant, a hawk, a dog, possum and orangutan. The 30-minute return walk follows a flat and easy track and it’s become a perennial family favourite trail. 

Forest Amble, Hamner Forest. Photo / Mike Yardley 

Where to stay? Boasting the largest suites in Hanmer Springs and only a 10 minute drive from the village, Braemar Lodge & Spa is a boutique-style haven specialising in stylish comfort, solitude, impeccable service and expansive valley views across the mountains and forests cradling Hanmer Springs. Nature’s magic had painted the ranges in a fresh coat of late winter overnight snow, as I awoke to enjoy a Mixed Grill breakfast in the divine on-site Altitude Restaurant, with floor to ceiling windows lustily embracing the landscape.  

Open for breakfast and dinner, you can dine on fresh seasonal cuisine whether you’re staying in-house or as a casual diner. My Superior Spa Suite was incredibly spacious, with warm tones, rich fabrics, stirring oil paintings, a gas fire, private balcony with hot tub, luxurious marble bathroom with double spa bath and a super-king size bed. Spoil yourself with a radiantly indulgent escape in the cradle of supreme comfort at Braemar Lodge & Spa. I locked in a great stay with Booking.com. Offering accommodation, flights, bookable attractions and car hires, Booking.com takes the stress out of travelling all on one platform. Sign up for even bigger Genius discounts on accommodation. www.booking.com 

Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.