Into Hot Water

Our hopes of aerial exploration were renewed the next morning with the idea of doing a flight around the glacial region, but once again the weather decided otherwise. We walked around town with one eye on the shops and one on the skies, but knew our chances of flying were lower than a Bin Laden's. We checked out the famous glass blowers, and saw some Kiwis (birds not humans) and tuataras (native reptiles), and then got back on the road. We’d decided that if the mountains were bringing down the rain, then we’d have to cut across country, and go beyond their reach.

The route across the south island at this point cut through a natural gap in the mountain range and consequently was a far straighter, easier, and faster drive than further south. It meant we arrived at the spa town, ‘Hamner Springs’ by early afternoon and had plenty of time to relax in the thermal pools.

This town strangely seemed to mark the furthest reaches of the rain as it was carried across the south island. The clouds approaching from the west looked dark, furious and unrelenting, but by the time they were above, their temperament had calmed, and only a light mist fell. If this pattern continued further east, then the future would be bright.