Big Bertha Treats Us to the Spa and Wine!

After only one day of being in the camper van, we ventured to the (much needed) thermal hot springs.  Hanmer Springs Resort includes a fully-loaded spa and multiple thermal pools for personal relaxation.  The pools were discovered way back in the day and are naturally heated from thermal activity.  The Resort provides pools with varying temperatures, including some unfiltered sulfur pools (these were the hottest ones).  Jerbear and I spent the entire day here...obviously Big Bertha worked one over on us.

After we left Hanmer Springs, we headed up the east coast toward Kaikoura.  The drive is never boring - between my limitless questions, good jams on the radio, and the gorgeous landscape, boredom is out of the question.  Here is just one of the pictures we took on the way to Kaikoura.  We could literally stop Big Bertha around every bend for a photo-opt.  

It is so weird how quickly the weather can change here in NZ.  When we left Hanmer Springs, it was BEAUTIFUL and sunny with no humidity; however, when we arrived in Kaikoura, it was foggy and damp (my hair went from straight to curly in about 7 minutes..).  This town is predominantly known for whale watching but, unfortunately, we had to pass due to low visibility.  On our way out of town, we pulled off on the side of the road to do the Ohau Stream walk.  Now I know all of these names look a little weird but when you hear them once, they roll off your tongue like butter.  The end of the Ohau Stream walk led us to the highlight of our trip thus far.  

After seeing these precious baby seals, Big Bertha led us to wine country.  We are now in Blenheim, NZ exercising our Catholic heritage of drinking adult grape juice.  We are scheduled to tour 7 different wineries today and the weather is absolutely amazing! Our next post may not be for another couple of days due to our recovery time. ;) Cheers from the Marlborough region!