Tag Archives: Hamner Springs

Hamner Springs is the main thermal resort in the South Island.  Small (population 750) and pretty with mature trees lining streets of weatherboard houses it has oodles more character than the average New Zealand village.    It is a favourite weekend destination for people living in Christchurch  85km further south.  The large thermal springs have nine outdoor pools, three of which are sulphur pools, with temperatures ranging from 38 to 44 degrees C, heated swimming pool with slides, sauna, steam room, health and beauty spa, cafe and shop.  We content ourselves with an hour-and-half moving between the hot pools relaxing and chatting.  A couple from Buckinghamshire arrived in Christchurch a few days ago have come with only summer clothes and, disappointed by the grey and chilly weather, have decided cut short their stay in the South Island and leave for the North Island tomorrow.   We leave Hamner Springs after lunch and arrive in Christchurch the most British of New Zealand’s cities by late afternoon.  We are staying at Thomas’ Hotel.  It is in an old weatherboard house on Hereford Street just a stone’s throw from the town centre and provides a common room and guest kitchen.  The weather is sunny and warm when we arrive and we take a early evening stroll in the glorious Hagley Park at the end of the road.

We are discovering that the South Island has a very different character to the North. It has a much more lived-in feel which gives it more character;  no artificial film sets here, only the natural ones that provided the backdrop for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The Maori influence too is much less noticeable in the South;  place names generally have a British provenance.  In contrast, most place names in the North are the names given by the original Maori settlers. Maori account for 15% (565,000) of the total population of New Zealand,b but only 5% in the South and are consequently much less visible here.  Maori culture is widely celebrated in New Zealand and the indigenous culture has a special and separate status within the country’s ethnic mix.  Maori is an official language and there is a resurgence of interest in speaking it.  There is also a separate electoral role  granting Maori guaranteed parliamentary seats.  The cultural mix in the South Island is heavily skewed with around 80 percent of European descent compared to Auckland where the figure is slightly over half  which goes some way to explain the South Island’s a distinctly British feel.

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