Hanmer Springs is a small alpine village in the Hurunui district of north Canterbury, set in a broad basin among forested hills about an hour and a half's drive from the Pacific coast. The hot springs here were found by European settlers in the 1850s and have been in use ever since, and the thermal pools at the centre of the village, with their rock pools, sulphur baths and water slides, are what draw most visitors. Around them the village has cafes, restaurants, a handful of shops and a long list of places to stay, and about a thousand people live here year-round.
The village is also the gateway to the Molesworth Station road, the long gravel track between Hanmer Springs and Blenheim that crosses what is said to be New Zealand's largest farm. The road follows the Acheron and Awatere valleys through a vast, empty high country of tussock hills, mountains and braided rivers, and it is open to the public only in the summer months, usually from around December to April, with a small fee. In winter it is closed. If you plan to ride it, check the dates and conditions with the local information centre.
So fill up in Hanmer Springs before you leave, since the next reliable pump is in Blenheim, a long way off. Pack water and a few snacks. The countryside is arid and bare, and it feels huge, with the Kaikoura ranges standing at the edge of the view. The route is an old stock road and later a supply road to the station, and you see the old huts and yards along the way.
Back in the village, there are walks in the forest park, where the larch and redwood stands planted in the early twentieth century make a good place to spend an hour. The thermal pools are a fine way to finish a ride, especially on a cold evening in autumn, and soaking tired shoulders after a day on gravel is one of the great pleasures of the South Island.