The last day of the big journey. the weather forcast was for fine later and temperatures in high 20's. Se we decided to make the most of it and go to Hamner for the day. It was my last day of annual leave. After this I have to work again until next Christmas. Sigh. Well enough of that - we still have one day left to enjoy ourselves. So we packed gear and headed north to Hanmer. It was a partial re-tracing our historical steps ----> ( Austrians in Hamner ) and a partial last chance for a decent bath / clean up! eeeek ^^ Well you do come out like a wrinkled prune!!www.hanmersprings.co.nz/thermal/pools/
The pools have now been re-developed - and cover a much greater area then when Wilfried was here last!! Still it is a good place to sit and soak and enjoy the wildlife -urm - other bikinis walking past. However - after about 2 hours soaking and tasting all the new rock-pools and their varying temperatures / minerals - it is time to come back out - but more on that later. First up - yes as always you have to EARN your right to go into the pools and hike up Conical hill - a short 400 meter stroll up the local hill - now fully grown with Pine
trees. But before THAT - we stopped at the bridge and offered the lad a last chance and do what Doris did a few days earlier. Wilfried still not game enough to trust his life a rubber band and a early bath did not entice him neither. Tut tut - one day ladie - one day we will do this!! So soon enough we were on top of the Conical Hill - and oddly enough it does look like a cone shaped hill - and admired the view = or what is left of it. I can remember a time when you could see the whole of the old township and of course the 3 hot pools!! Now - with the trees having grown - you won't see them - just the newer parts of town. Bummer = it made for good pictures!! Now if you have read and followed the blog - or not - and clicked on the link above - or not - well - you would know that in an earlier life our peaceful holiday got interrupted by the young adults visiting us at the Hamner work batch and it snowed and someone was climbing the hill next to the look out - ok the teeny weeny rock next to the lookout and then you would have also seen a whitish boy GINGERLY entering the hot pools . . . . . In any case - seeing this is in a sense retracing of earlier steps - he just had to climb the rock. 
This of course had nothing to do with the lovely young female who had been there earlier (about 10 minutes earlier) - and if memory serves was up and down as easy as a mountain goat. I am under oath to NOT publish any further (embarrassing) images of his escapade . . . This is not easy . . . . .
Not at all - there are a few worth showing.
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Along the way - you go up this broad serpentine slope to get there and of course many young children delight in going straight up. Us more maturer folk enjoyed the walk - slower as the young kids - still more enjoyable. Having worked up an appetite we stopped at the local Cafe/ bakery and indulged in some good ol' kiwi tucker. There are no images of us in the pool from this time - you have to take our word for it. I did not even see the young lady that normally goes round and tries to sell the tourists the 'professional' looking pictures. Maybe two blokes together in the pool was just not attractive enough ? ? ? hey - I am good looking in my own right!!
Soon enough it was time to head back home - we briefly stopped over at the work batch and had a look round - they are cutting out some trees making it a lighter breezier place. The batch itself has not changed much - not on the outside. Kitchen and Bathroom have been upgraded and there is now a double bed instead of the two singles . . . A further stop at the Marble Point winery (for their Riesling which is divine) and having re-stocked some wino fino - it was time to come home to what felt like a 'henkers-mahlzeit'. Hmm was that Siebenburgen kraut?
On the way we stopped at the famous Frog Rock. It is a natural occurring wonder - and you have to agree - it does look like a frog right out of a fairytale picture book complete with his crown. There is a unconfirmed rumor that when the right person at the right time (meaning some stars have to align and the tide has be out and the moon has to be 5 quarters full and waning - and - hmmm can't give away all the secrets) wears the right clothes and does this ritual dance (something about 3 times round and round a 
pole of fir extract set in a quadrangle of fire-bowls lit with blue-whale oil) with ribbon of red and green color and partakes in a extremely rare and special moon-shine drink - then and only then - will the Frog come alive and croak and - if your male - become for a very, very short time a princess of un-natural beauty. So far no-one ever has seen this transformation - but local legend has it occurring in the distant past for some lucky guy. I was tempted to stay for a bit - but the Austrian visitor would have given me an earful about planes the next day and not wanting to miss that and so forth - so we headed home after taking the obligatory pictures. 
There are a good number of folks who will try on the ritual though - which is helped by a often seen Steam engine pulling a ever hopeful crowd up the famous pass and stop there for the rituals! In our case we saw the track maintenance train instead. Interestingly enough - the train is going over, what is now, all private land and is a great tourist and train enthusiast attraction. If and when Bernhard comes again we will definitively have to check the train-time-table and see if we can make the short little journey. 
The next day - I had to go back to work. Yes this bread and breakfast owner is not making any money out of visitors and needs to go and earn some cash so he can go tiki-touring - with them. So off to work I trundled leaving the chaps at home. It was one of those hot sunny days that we are famous for.
Thats all for now - another satisfied customer has been and now left happy. Wonder who will be next?? We have a bet going (we being mamabear and myself) who it will be!!
The muller.enterprise.co.nz is doing ok.
have fun
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