New Zealand – Into Hot Water

I emerged from The Snail about 7am. I did sleep OK ish. I slept on the back seat, its a shame the back seats don’t fold to make make a flat space like they do in my car at home. I could have done with stretching out a bit more. My knees don’t seem to like being bent for any length of time anymore.
I know.. I know, if that’s all I have to complain about I’m a very lucky person.
I must have slept Ok because I went to sleep with just one other van at the site and woke up with at least 5 campers. I didn’t hear anything at all.

It was cold when I got up and I thought I’d better move my car to de-mist it and to get a phone signal so I could let my Dad and Paris know I was still alive.
I drove to what I hoped would be a natural hot spring at Sylvia Flats. Firstly there were no signs and I was told its not visited often. I blundered about the bush hoping to see steam rising from a muddy pool. I crossed a river which was freezing but still couldn’t find it. It occurred to me if I twisted my ankle it might be days before anyone found me so I clambered up the bank to find my car as I wanted some breakfast. Anyway this was the view from the river.

I headed on to Hamner Springs. Liyun had told me it was very pretty and it was. Its a tourist town but very green and beautifully kept. Here I found a Spa pool for just $20 and spent a glorious couple of hours submerged (not my head as I don’t want amoebic meningitis) in the thermal waters breathing in sulfur fumes (not particularly efficacious), unlocking my knees and soothing my sand fly bites. Regarding the latter, the bites are not like mozzy bites, the devils take a lump out of you, so my feet look as though I’ve been injecting!
Bees again! There was this sign in the spa
and clearly the bees come for the mineral health benefits too! I’m begining to get a bit bee paranoid.

I purchased my first souvenir at a Craft Fayre in the town, a numbered print of (you guessed it!) a Bumble bee, in pen and ink by local artist John Fraser (appropriate I thought). Look him up he’s fantastic although I suspect he’s also a bit of a conspiracy theorist.
I stood and watched Morris Dancing too, it was all very surreal.
As I left Hamner Springs I noticed people bungy jumping off the bridge. In fact it appears to be the national pass time here. The bridges are often single lane spanning the great clefts in the earth. I don’t think I’m going to try it, the bungy jumping I mean, my joints are too loose and knowing my track record I’ll probably break something or leave part of me behind!

I then drove on towards Mount Hutt. It was meant to be a scenic route on the 72, however the area is so flat and the roads are straight enough to impress the Romans. It was boring driving. I stopped at Oxford (nothing like its namesake) for a break and saw across the road an odd historic building which turned out to be an old gaol ( I seem to be drawn to these places).

I got chatting to a delightful old lady Colleen McKenzie who was sat in the gardens around the Gaol, (as incongruous as that sounds and her feet are in my picture) we talked about family history and how the settlers lived.
Driving on I arrived at Rakia Gorge not realising I had been driving on a plateau before. The Gorge opens up suddenly, wide with pale blue fast moving water and shear sides. And guess what? I’m staying in Mount Hutt Lodge overlooking it. The snail is sleeping by herself tonight, I expect its a relief!