It’s a long drive down from Richmond to Christchurch, and what better stopping point than Hanmer Springs, where entrepreneurial drive has turned the natural muddy sand-fly plagued hot springs into a kids’ watery paradise. To be honest, I’m not sure if these hot springs were originally muddy, but most don’t live up to the fairy-tale imagination of pristine steaming water flowing abundantly between rock-lined stream banks. We met Laura and her kids there for the day Saturday, and they returned with us for the weekend in Christchurch.

I’ve been to Hanmer Springs before but completely missed the spray park. There’s Milo, sluicing down the slide on the right.  When the cool wind got a bit brisk, we ducked back into the sheltered man-made stream, water a comfortable 35 degrees C (95 F). 

Naomi really wanted to climb up those steps, but spent a moment considering the sprinkle-fall obstacle first.

Always bold, she made a dash through the water but got stopped by the pelting drops, immobilized. Mommy to the rescue (after a pause to snap a photo first).  She conquered the steps and sloshed down the slide. 

The kids loved this Tuatara slide (a kind of pre-historic NZ lizard). You enter its mouth and come shooting out its tail–what more could a boy want? Noah had the best faces upon exiting!

There’s my beautiful baby!