Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa
Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa
Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa
4.5
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
Welcome to Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa The best place to escape, Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa is an easy drive, just 90 minutes north of Christchurch. The best place to indulge, with a range of pools including relaxing rock pools, soothing sulphur pools, an array of water jets and bubbles - at a range of temperatures. Plus a luxurious day spa with a range of treatments, private pools, sauna and steam rooms. The best place to act like a kid, with an activity pool, lap pool, lazy river, water slides, garden picnic areas and the Tea Kiosk Café & Grill. Quite simply – the best place.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
3,944 reviews
Excellent
2,218
Very good
1,231
Average
335
Poor
92
Terrible
68
Thomas C
3 contributions
Aug 2020
I have just completed a Pamper Plus Package. Some ups, a lot of downs.
Pros: beautiful site, nice slides (a bit rough and leaving some bruises, definitely not for people afraid of water), nice layout of the different pools. The accommodation that was booked by the Hanmer Springs team was great too.
Cons:
Very rude staff, to a point that was really questioning their motivation to work at all. It starts with trying to join Hanmer Springs. Between the short opening times of the phone line, the power outages, it was hard to get somebody on the phone. And when I got someone on the phone, this person was rude. She cut me through my questions several times, not listening to me, just repeating "go to the website, go to the website, send us an e-mail, send us an e-mail" while I was just wanting to ask few simple questions that would have decided if yes or not I could book at all.
Once at the spa, NO EXPLANATIONS AT ALL about the process of events. Nobody ever explained to us the layout of the site, the lockers, the towels, what we should wear for the massage, what to do in between the different times of the day . No choice was left to us between sauna and steam rooms. I ended up getting yelled at, because I used the Spa showers, after the masseuse told me to rinse off the oils before going back to the pools. That was rude from A to Z. No communication, no explanation and the few that was discussed with us was by yelling at us or cutting us while we were talking. Dreadful experience for our relationship with the front desk staff (no problem with the lifeguards).
The private pool has nothing, no jets, no possibility to regulate anything, it is just hot thermal water. It was our first stage of the day, we arrived fully clothed, nobody explained us where to get changed, so we ended up having to remove our clothes in the private pool room, in such a tiny space.
The steam room was ok and much more spacious.
The massage supposed to be "aromatic" was completely bland. Only one kind of generic massage oil was used, way far from what is described on the website as an olfactive experience. The masseuses were using gloves because of COVID-19, but the texture of the gloves was quite rough and unpleasant on the skin.
The pools are not that different from one another, except the sulphur pools. The pools with the jets were overcrowded, by old people staying there all afternoon long and not respecting the social distancing at all.
Pros: beautiful site, nice slides (a bit rough and leaving some bruises, definitely not for people afraid of water), nice layout of the different pools. The accommodation that was booked by the Hanmer Springs team was great too.
Cons:
Very rude staff, to a point that was really questioning their motivation to work at all. It starts with trying to join Hanmer Springs. Between the short opening times of the phone line, the power outages, it was hard to get somebody on the phone. And when I got someone on the phone, this person was rude. She cut me through my questions several times, not listening to me, just repeating "go to the website, go to the website, send us an e-mail, send us an e-mail" while I was just wanting to ask few simple questions that would have decided if yes or not I could book at all.
Once at the spa, NO EXPLANATIONS AT ALL about the process of events. Nobody ever explained to us the layout of the site, the lockers, the towels, what we should wear for the massage, what to do in between the different times of the day . No choice was left to us between sauna and steam rooms. I ended up getting yelled at, because I used the Spa showers, after the masseuse told me to rinse off the oils before going back to the pools. That was rude from A to Z. No communication, no explanation and the few that was discussed with us was by yelling at us or cutting us while we were talking. Dreadful experience for our relationship with the front desk staff (no problem with the lifeguards).
The private pool has nothing, no jets, no possibility to regulate anything, it is just hot thermal water. It was our first stage of the day, we arrived fully clothed, nobody explained us where to get changed, so we ended up having to remove our clothes in the private pool room, in such a tiny space.
The steam room was ok and much more spacious.
The massage supposed to be "aromatic" was completely bland. Only one kind of generic massage oil was used, way far from what is described on the website as an olfactive experience. The masseuses were using gloves because of COVID-19, but the texture of the gloves was quite rough and unpleasant on the skin.
The pools are not that different from one another, except the sulphur pools. The pools with the jets were overcrowded, by old people staying there all afternoon long and not respecting the social distancing at all.
Written 19 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to pass on feedback, and sorry to hear that on this occasion our service wasn't up to scratch.
Unfortunately the quick move back to alert level 2, combined with power outages, meant our customer support team were inundated with queries and as we were still processing the information ourselves we did try to direct people to contact us via our email, however I am sorry it came across as rude.
I will pass on your feedback to The Spa as it seems on this day their service was not as to be expected and communication was not as clear as it should have been. Can you please send me an email with your name and the date you visited? My email address is milly@hanmersprings.co.nz
Unfortunately due to the move to alert level 2 our Spa therapists are now required to wear gloves and I am sorry that this negatively impacted your massage, however it is a requirement of opening.
We do have 22 outdoor thermal pools that all range in temperatures and different environments. You can find all about our pools here https://hanmersprings.co.nz/play-and-soak/soak/
Thanks again for your feedback and I am sorry you weren't satisfied with your visit.
Written 19 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Keithbath D
Chippenham, UK601 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
A must do experience whilst in Hanmer the pools are excellent and the slides fab and the chutes good. It can get very busy and queues for the two main slides can be long so go early or stay late, not a lot of relaxing areas if it is busy so again need to be there early. Food is quite good from the cafe but on the pricey side for some things. Changing rooms excellent and all very clean.
Written 4 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
isawayaway
Auckland Central, New Zealand83 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
Firstly best life guarding I’ve seen in ages. They all appeared to be eyes on the whole time, saw a few call outs to people doing the wrong thing, and noticed when one was doing a pool check by the cafe he walked right to the end to see behind a rock. We spent about five hours all up. Busy day apparently but still plenty of room, could get access to the aqua therapy jets, about a 10 min wait for slides. Lockers helpful to really relax, I heard someone saying their Jandals had been nicked from where they were sitting.
Written 25 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bart B
Townsville, Australia11 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
A little expensive when visiting with 6yo children who did not quite meet high requirements for hydroslides however great array of different types of pools that were very well maintained. Good nonslip pool coating to ensure safety that didn't appear to be wearing in any of the areas we visited. There were a couple of small slides that little children could go on.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WayneAP
City of Greater Geelong, Australia3,583 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools are perfectly situated in the centre of Hanmer Springs. We found the reception staff quite unhelpful as we had booked a spa treatment at The Spa which gives a discounted entry to the pools. However they didn’t really explain themselves very well finally guiding us a little further along the road to The Spa. However this was good as we got our lockers and towels included in our entry - these are extras on top of the entry price at the main pool entrance.
Once inside we found a number of smallish pools, these vary in temperature and some have bubble jets, massage sprays and waterfalls. We didn’t visit the waterslide or the main family area as it sounded noisy and we really just wanted to relax. Although these are touted as mineral pools I felt there was a fair portion of chlorine mixed in and we only saw one pool labelled as untreated.
Once inside we found a number of smallish pools, these vary in temperature and some have bubble jets, massage sprays and waterfalls. We didn’t visit the waterslide or the main family area as it sounded noisy and we really just wanted to relax. Although these are touted as mineral pools I felt there was a fair portion of chlorine mixed in and we only saw one pool labelled as untreated.
Written 26 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John P
Bray Park, Australia115 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
After a long day of driving it was good to sit in the warm waters and relax all those muscles you forgot you had. Once relaxed have a go on the slide options, both for kids and adults, or enjoy a meal at the onsite cafe. Open till late in the summer months which means no matter what time you get in you have the opportunity to have a relax before dinner and bed. They have change rooms, lockers and towels on site (for a cost) for your convenience. Must do in when going to Hanmer Springs.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen C
Wollongong, Australia795 contributions
May 2021
We were really looking forward to our visit to Hanmer Springs and the opportunity to jump into their heated pools for some remedial water therapy. We opted to try a 1hr private pool session first up for our small group - would not go this way again and an hour was too long, felt a bit claustrophobic and a couple of us got out after half an hour.
We jumped around from one to another of the outside pools and had a very nice time. The sulphur pools are a bit hotter and nice on the body but also on the nose.
There are some good child friendly or young at heart adult slides etc to be had for the adventurous - not us.
We also stopped into the onsite Cafe afterwards for a bite to eat and it was fine but nothing spectacular.
Happily recommend a visit for visitors of any age and appears we were there on a less busy time as it is usually packed according to one of the locals - lucky us.
We jumped around from one to another of the outside pools and had a very nice time. The sulphur pools are a bit hotter and nice on the body but also on the nose.
There are some good child friendly or young at heart adult slides etc to be had for the adventurous - not us.
We also stopped into the onsite Cafe afterwards for a bite to eat and it was fine but nothing spectacular.
Happily recommend a visit for visitors of any age and appears we were there on a less busy time as it is usually packed according to one of the locals - lucky us.
Written 4 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Most people love our private pools but can imagine they are not the best for those with claustrophobia. Great to hear you would recommend us and we hope to see you some time again soon.
Written 9 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Andrina P
London, UK190 contributions
Aug 2022 • Friends
Entry fee is a bit expensive but it does have a lot to offer for that price. There are lots of different pools with varying temperatures as well as 4 different slides. We managed to spend the whole afternoon at the pools and went in winter so enjoyed looking at the snowy mountains while soaking. The changing rooms were clean and the showers had complimentary shampoo and conditioner. Lockets are available at an extra cost to store bags in or alternatively there are open lockers for storage. It was a lovely, relaxing experience and I would highly recommend it for solo visitors, friends, couples and families.
Written 16 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Molly317
Riverton, New Zealand74 contributions
Jul 2020 • Friends
First time here with friends. We booked a private pool first which was away & enclosed. We thought it would be outside just further away & private. After our half hour we tried all of the other pools. While certainly enjoyable I thought it was quite expensive, especially if you are travelling with children & they want a two day pass. Was a good couple of hours but now I've been I dont need to come back.
Written 28 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alan D
Whangarei, New Zealand5 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
First visit to the complex after its extensions. We went there at the height of the holiday season and it was fine. Long queues for the slides but otherwise no problem with pool access or food/drinks. Lots of choice of pools. Prices have gone up so plan to make at least a half day of it - then you get your money’s worth. NZers should get the Pool Plus card (can do online) which gives 20% off.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I’m a bit confused. Are the Thermal pools included in the overall price or or not? I see pricing for private thermal pools but are they all private?
Written 31 July 2022
The price of entry is for the outdoor thermal pools and slides, there is an extra charge for private pools, steams and saunas
Written 14 July 2024
I’m a bit confused. Are the Thermal pools included in the overall price or or not? I see pricing for private thermal pools but are they all private?
Written 31 July 2022
The price of entry is for the outdoor thermal pools and slides, there is an extra charge for private pools, steams and saunas
Written 14 July 2024
Are the water slides and kids pools also heated please? Or just the “thermal” pools?
Thanks
Written 19 April 2021
Milly
Hanmer Springs, New Zealand
Yes they are, our waterslides and Family Activity Pool vary between 28 degrees and 33 degrees.
Thanks,
Milly
Written 27 April 2021
Do we need to book? We're planning a visit the day after Kaikoura whale watching, but we may have to be flexible if whale watching is rescheduled. It's for the end of July.
Written 7 April 2019
No need to book. If you do want to pre purchase tickets you can use express lanes. Enjoy Whale Watch! Check out alpinepacific dot nz for more within our area :)
Written 28 April 2019
Hi! We’re planning to visit on 2nd week of June with 2kids and 1 infant(10months old). Can we still enjoy it by that month? Thanks
Written 29 March 2019
Hi Marivicn,
We are open all year round (except Christmas)
All out pools are heated so its a great time of year to enjoy them! Have a wonderful trip
Written 31 March 2019
No you can't, You must wear swimwear
Written 16 May 2019
Will the hot pools be open on Anzac Day? Will the cafe there be open? What about the village shops? Ta
Written 23 February 2019
According to their website they are open every day except Christmas day, from 10am - 9pm
Written 6 March 2019
Hi there, I have dry itchy skin. Are hot pools good or bad for this condition?
Written 21 June 2018
Hi there.
It really does depend on your skin condition. Our pools are all heated with Thermal water however some do have chlorine except for the Sulphur pools that are pure natural mineral water. The Sulphur pools also have Silica.
Silica is an essential element involved in rebuilding and maintaining these tissues. ....Google this as you will find it has rewarding elements. If you are worried please consult your doctor.
Written 21 June 2018
Hi there :)
Will it be a nice time to visit Hanmer Spring during this time, like end of April? Is it nice during Autumn?
Thanks very much :)
Written 8 April 2018
This time of year is stunning in Hanmer Springs the trees are turning and the colours are amazing.
Written 21 April 2018
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