Kelly Meharg headed south to try Elemental, the brand new contrast therapy experience at Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa that’s home to the country’s first snow room. Here’s her verdict, plus everything else worth doing while you’re there.
Hanmer Springs has always been a bit of a mystery to me – growing up in Auckland, I knew it had some sick pools, it was near-ish Christchurch and… I guess there’s some springs!?
So I jumped at the chance to travel down to see what this tiny holiday town has to offer – and to try a brand-new experience that promised to reinvigorate me from top to toe (say less). Here’s my full Hanmer experience and where I recommend for the perfect spa weekend!
EXPERIENCE:
Elemental at Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa: Elemental is the whole reason I headed down to Hanmer Springs – and it was so worth the journey. What is it? So glad you asked – it’s an adults-only, guided contrast therapy journey built around the four elements of fire, air, ice and water (yes, I was thinking about Captain Planet the entire time). If you’ve dabbled in the sauna and cold plunge trend (most of us have – or at least thought about it!) you’ll know the theory – moving between intense heat and cold gets your circulation going and leaves you feeling brand new. Elemental takes that idea and fancies it up a little, swapping the ice bath for actual snow falling on your head.
You start with ‘fire’ in Ember, a natural timber sauna with that dry, scented heat that has your shoulders dropping within minutes – and trust me, it’s HOT. Next comes ‘air’ – the steam room full of aromatic, enveloping warmth where your breathing slows as you really get into the experience and force yourself to slow down. And then it’s the main event, Glacial, which is New Zealand’s first snow room and holy hell, this place is COOL (no pun intended). Real snow drifts down from the ceiling and there’s a glowing ice wall and twinkling lights to make it feel utterly magical and the whole thing feels a bit like stepping inside a snow globe (the people before my husband and I got in had built a snowman, and had written HELP in the ice that coated the walls). The team built a custom snow-making system to create that fresh, powdery snow indoors, and I can confirm it really does feel like the real deal. I’d braced myself for something punishing when I heard snow, to be honest, but it’s far more exhilarating than painful, and depending on where you sit you can catch the snow in your hands and pat it onto your arms and legs to control just how cold you get. Or, you can do what I did and lie fully down onto the snow floor for the full experience, which honestly wasn’t that bad at all!
And then the final element is ‘water’ and it’s the best bit in my humble opinion because who doesn’t love a hot tub! You finish in your own private geothermal pool, soaking in the amazingly water with fresh alpine air and mountain views, while drinks and a floating sharing platter arrive with food so good my husband wanted to ask the chef for recipes. Trust and believe, I’ve done SO many spa days in my time, but I walked out of Elemental clear-headed and properly relaxed, and the feeling stuck around for the rest of the day. If you want to go all in and be fancy, there’s also a package that pairs Elemental with a full body relaxation massage (why I didn’t do this, I don’t know), a glass of bubbles and entry to the wider pools complex, and you absolutely should make time for a slow float in the thermal pools (or who are we kidding, a hoon down the hydroslides) while you’re there.
STAY:
Tussock Peak Lodge: Tussock Peak Lodge is about as handy as it gets in Hanmer. Located on the corner of Amuri Avenue and Leamington Street, it’s just a couple of minutes’ walk from the thermal pools and right on the edge of the village, so you can park the car when you arrive and forget about it until you leave (which, if you love a wine with dinner like I do, is a very big tick). It’s a cosy, warm 14-unit lodge with mountain views, and the lovely hosts provide towels to take to the pools so you’re not stuffing a damp one back into your suitcase. Book a spa studio if you can, grab a bottle of something from the village and settle in after your big day of adventure, It’s a charming lodge that ticks all the boxes.
DO:
Forest Amble Sculpture Walk: An easy, flat 30-minute return wander through the Hanmer Heritage Forest, among towering larch and spruce that were planted more than a century ago. The fun bit is the collection of giant wooden sculptures hidden along the trail, carved by Christchurch sculptor Andrew Lyons from a redwood that had to be removed from outside the thermal pools. Keep your eyes peeled for the big friendly giant, an orangutan, a tuatara, a falcon and some very cheeky possums. It’s designed with kids in mind but we loved it as well – and an added surprise during the walk was spotting the dramatic damage done from last year’s big storms that felled hundreds of trees, making certain parts of the loop look a little like a T-Rex had trampled through on the way to Jurassic Park.
Alpine Crazy Putt: Located right in the middle of the village on Conical Hill Road, I’ll warn you – this is a HARD mini golf course, but perfect if your travel buddy is uber-competitive, like mine. It’s super-fun and an easy way to fill an hour between lunch and your pool booking and there’s just something so ‘holiday’ about mini golf?!. (I lost by one, I’m sad to say – we’ll be back!)
Waterfall Track: For a walk that’ll actually make you feel like you’ve earned you dinner, head to the car park at the end of Mullans Road, where a steady climb through mountain beech forest (look out for the mosses, ferns and native orchids along the way) takes you to the 41 metre Dog Stream waterfall. Allow around an hour and a half each way, or if you’re feeling energetic you can loop back via the Spur Track and Fir Trail. It’s a good wee walk, and it makes the soak afterwards feel very well deserved!
EAT
No.31: Set in a stunning old character cottage on Amuri Avenue, No.31 is the spot for your one ‘special’ dinner of your trip. Inside there’s an open fire, wooden floors and candle-lit tables, and the chef’s tasting menu of modern European and New Zealand food changes every week (but if there’s steak, trust me and get it!). It’s cosy and a bit romantic but it fills up fast, so book ahead.
Fire & Ice: Directly opposite the thermal pools, Fire & Ice is Hanmer’s easy all-day option that won’t let you down, and it’s open from breakfast right through to dinner. There’s two big fireplaces for chilly days, loads of outdoor seating for sunny ones, and a menu built for sharing, including the famous seafood platter and the ‘Farm on a Plate’ if you’ve worked up an appetite on the Waterfall Track (we shared a platter and it was our foodie highlight of the trip!). Oh, and do yourself a favour and order the Toblerone Martini!
Elemental is available to book now at hanmersprings.co.nz. Kelly travelled to Hanmer Springs courtesy of Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa