Today is our last full day in the camper van. We started with a walk in the Hamner Forest. This was a pine forest, on the flat, so very different from all the other walks we had done.
Then we went to visit the springs baths that have made Hanmer famous. No photos, but we spent a very pleasant two hours moving from sulphur pools (42 deg C) to cooler pools, and using the water slides. I'm not sure if they have sold a senior rate entry with access to the slides before!
After an ice cream for lunch we drove out of town, starting the drive back towards Christchurch. This was the Hamner River Bridge where they do bungy jumping and rafting. Not much activity there, but it looked nice.
We've been past a lot of wine growing areas in the last few days. Unlike France they seem to put nets over their vines. Not sure if they are protecting them from birds or the wind.
We stopped at Waikari, and took an energetic walk up the hill to see some Maori cave art. Sadly a professor decided that they should be over painted to preserve them back in the early 1900s, but they were still interesting.
On our way back we discovered that one of the fields we had to cross was now full of cattle, but Mick practised his herding skills again and moved them all out of the way. He had to do a similar job with a few sheep as well before we got back to the van.
Time for another ice cream (we still have a few to finish before we hand the van back), then just across the road was the final stop on the historic Weka Pass Railway, so we went across and had a nosy around at the station building.
Now we are sitting in a lovely campsite, washing machine is on and it's time for our last evening meal in the van. Tomorrow it's ice cream for breakfast, then we'll return the van before getting a hire car for the rest of the trip.
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