Tuesday 18th January Abel Tasman - Hanmer Springs

It was pouring with rain when we woke this morning but we set off early passing through 2 more national parks on route to Hanmer Springs.We stopped for walks at several places along the way but with low cloud and rain, there was little to see and little enthusiasm to get off the bus.

We passed through the Kahurangi and Nelson national parks which boast fabulous scenery but we saw little of it through the rain.We were happy to arrive early at our accommodation in Hanmer Springs where we got to share fabulous little house with Erik, Alysse and Sophie.We have 2 bedrooms (1 with balcony), a bathroom, a full kitchen (with coffee!!), and a lounge with a further balcony with a TV and video - this is luxury after the last 2 nights at the campsite.

Hanmer Springs is an alpine spa village, and after a group meal at the local pub, we headed off the soak our weary muscles in the selection o sulphur pools, sculptured rock pools and soaker pools where the temperature ranges from 33C to 41C.Luckily it had stopped raining so we took full advantage of all that the spa had to offer before heading back for a good night's sleep.

William Jones a farm manager from Culverden is generally regarded as the first European to discover the hot springs in 1859.However, early Maori had long used it as a place to ease the aches of overland travel.The area got its name from Thomas Hanmer who surveyed the area in 1852 but never actually settled in Hanmer.