This morning we followed the Alpine Pacific Triangle Touring Route for the 135 k drive to Hanmer Springs. It took us through endlessly diverse landscapes. Beyond each twist and turn a picture-perfect scene emergeing…this morning the towering mountains were shrouded in very low clouds and at one point Andrew commented that he felt he could reach out and touch the clouds.

Hanmer Springs is one of the key destinations on the route and it is where will spend the last night of this holiday, it’s a tranquil alpine village nestled in a high country basin 385m above sea level and flanked by towering mountains.

The highly acclaimed Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa was our first stop. Set in the heart of the village there are 15 open-air thermal pools of varying temperatures, private thermal pools, steam and sauna rooms. There is also a family zone with water slides and a mega ride. 'The Spa 'offers spa, body and beauty treatments. 

This is all set amongst landscaped gardens, picnic areas and a café where we enjoyed a coffee in the sunshine overlooking…

Three sulphur pools that contain unfiltered thermal water. The water in these pools have temperatures ranging from 40°C to 42°C.

Four rock pools inter-connected with thermal streams and the rainbow pools that offer water fountains and temperatures ranging from 33°C to 37°C.

Dad and Andrew then had the job of finding somewhere for us to have lunch while mum and I had a wander through the village shops. I found some beautiful earrings and mum made a few purchases too.

 I guess it was predictable that when we met up again the boys had decided that we should have fish and chips for lunch. The upside was that we dined under some beautiful Redwood trees.

We then checked into our accommodation…a very spacious and well located apartment with a back garden leading on to a pond and the resident ducks.

This will be the last blog entry…we've done some final sorting and packing tonight, tomorrow we head to Christchurch airport and begin our journeys back to Bribie Island and Melbourne…we've had a great time and recommend New Zealand as a wonderful holiday destination. It has been very special to share this experience with mum and dad…exploring new places with them is always lots of fun and we look forward to the next time we get together and have more adventures in a new location.