Hanmer + Kaikoura

Hanmer Springs is one of my favourite places. It has happy, almost christmas-y vibes, and amazing views from everywhere in the town. I take every opportunity I can to head up there, whether its just going to the pools for a day, or staying for the weekend. We wanted to show our exchange student some more of New Zealand, so we skipped a few days of school, last week and stayed at a holiday home in Hanmer Springs Village for the weekend. (These photos are a collection from my whole family - some are taken of phones, some on cameras)

We arrived Thursday evening, settled in to our little chalet, and started making plans for the following day. I'm naturally an early riser, so I woke up in time to see the sunrise and take some snaps of the surroundings.

Expecting rain in the afternoon we tried to fit in as much as possible in the morning, starting with a walk up conical hill.

We made it to the top despite the very muddy track, and were rewarded with amazing views of the town and snowy mountains. The weather was far better than we imagined, lovely and warm.

I, as per usual, made everyone take photos of me.

The rest of the day was spent exploring town and at the pools. Because we were showing our student around we got to do a lot of tourist activities we would normally skip like mini golf and limo cruiser rides. I didn't take many photos for the rest of the trip as I started to feel quite sick and decided to relax.

The next day we packed up and headed to Kaikoura. I have driven through Kaikoura on my way to Marlborough Sounds, but have never stayed, so the only thing I knew about Kaikoura is that you can go whale watching (which is on my bucket list). I had no idea it was so beautiful. The snow-capped mountains and rocky beaches were absolutely stunning, along with the Kaikoura Peninsula, which we explored for a few hours that afternoon.

The weather turned just as we were heading back to the car, so we spent the rest of the evening in the motel room and I had an early night, still feeling quite sick.

The next morning was fairly slow, we were in no rush to head back. Breakfast was at the Beach House Cafe, which was a bit of a treat for our last day. We had a lot of stops on the drive home due to the road works, and spent a lot of time enjoying the stone beaches.

The trip couldn't have come at a better time, I normally feel quite stressed and unmotivated at this time of year, stuck in a winter slump. But I've come back refreshed and ready for my exam study. Luckily for me we have a few more trips planned while we still have our student, so there's no chance of me becoming completely overwhelmed!

Amesmames xx