Hanmer "Not" Springs

November 8^th-9^th, 2019

No that’s not a typo in the title, there are hot springs at a small inland town called Hanmer and although that is what inspired to head there, I didn’t end up going to the hot springs.  I like hot springs but I’m not a fanatic about them and these were the type that were in an outdoor pool setting, not natural ones.  Being by myself I opted to go to a little pitch n’ putt golf course which was super fun with some challenging holes.

The pitch 'n putt:

Nice sign at a brewpub downtown:

The drive to Hanmer was gorgeous, especially the coast and then starting to head inland from Kaikoura.  If I stopped at every picturesque view in the country…I’d never get anywhere!  But I did snap a few pics.

Just north of Kaikoura:

Heading inland:

I’ve been constantly moving for the past week and a half so I finally decided to stay in one spot for a couple of nights which was a nice break for me and Betty 2.0.

A nice field near where I camped where I sat and read each afternoon.  This little arboretum surrounding the area was pretty cool with trees from all over the world including Douglas Firs from BC and Redwoods from California some of which were planted in the 1930s.

I did have a funny experience one night in Hanmer.  I was lying in bed and had just drifted off when I heard the scratching of a branch on my roof.  Okay, not too strange as it was a bit windy out although I didn’t recall the branches being that low to my roof.  A few minutes later I heard footsteps on my roof.  Strange.  I tried to dismiss it but then heard it again.  It really sounded like I was in an apartment and someone was pacing back and forth in the room above.  Alright, I better check it out.  I put on some clothes, grabbed a flashlight and exited the side door of the van.  Shining the light up on the roof, these two big eyes glowed back at me…it was a big furry possum.  He stared back at me, not moving.  “Okay buddy, time to go.”  He didn’t move.  I made a motion towards him but then I realized his predicament, he didn’t know how to get down!  He slowly moved towards the front of the vehicle and slowly slid down the windscreen, gripped on to the rubber on the sides and even the windshield wiper then finally jumped down.  Good thing they’re not aggressive.  I did some research on them the next day and it turns out New Zealanders consider them pests.  They are not native to the country and were introduced here in the 1800s.  Someone had the bright idea to bring them over from Australia to start up a fur industry but unlike Australia where predators like dingoes keep them in check, they run wild here.  They still are pretty cute!