Sorry to rub it in but its scorching hot again today! We slip slap slopped with sunscreen and hat and decided that the cool from air conditioning in the car was needed.

So we went inland to Hamner Springs. It is a 90 minute drive through valleys and hillsides and wonderful scenery. We took it slowly and stopped where we could to take pictures. There are no especially made viewing points, so we stopped by farm gates. You legally  have to park off the road. When we reached Hanmer Springs we found a small village with huge oak and fir trees and giant red woods. There were tourist shops and hotels. In the centre are the hot springs.

I thought you would be able to walk through the forest to see them in their natural form but no… They are made into large swimming pools in a complex with spars.

There is an historic hospital next to the complex. The public are free to wander round the grounds. Built here in 1918 the soldiers from the WW1 with shell shock were treated in the spar springs. We could peep into the complex from there for as you can see we didn’t want to pay a fortune to go in!

I said, “I’m pleased I’ve seen what we didn’t go to”                                                                         Dad says that’s the quote of the holiday so far!!!

So after a cool ride back to Kaikoura…. I’m sitting in the Irish bar writing this and Grandad is having a nap in our room.

We are going to see the baby seals when it gets cooler and I need to walk as weve not had much exercise.

You will all be waking up in about 4 hours. When I told Otis we were having breakfast this morning, as he was having his birthday party at 6pm he said you should wake up sooner grandma hee hee!

Hope you like my photos take care all of you and pleased matthew and the children are over the flu now xxxx