Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:35p.m.
By Lyn Potter
We’re back from a long weekend in Hanmer Springs. Our first port of call when we arrived in the afternoon was Mumble’s café. The coffee was good and we also indulged in a hearty BLT sandwich and a large triangle of ginger crunch. It was not too crumbly and not too sweet with just enough ginger icing on top.
Fortified and despite the cool temperature, we went for a walk in the forest amongst a variety of exotic birches and pine trees. We had the track to ourselves and only once caught sight of 2 mountain bikers in the distance.
Our motel was a short distance from the centre of town in a semi rural setting. We slept soundly and woke up to the sound of birdsong. The weather forecast was for a Southerly and very cold weather, but it was sunny at breakfast time so we were able to sit outside on the deck and have a leisurely read of the morning paper. The cherry trees were in blossom over the road.
After breakfast we drove up to the Lewis Pass to do some walking. It took less than an hour to reach there but by that time the weather had turned. The temperature was down to 4 degrees and it was raining.
We decided to brave it but chose a short and easy track which was part boardwalk and part gravelly path, flanked by native birches and tussock grass. It soon turned to slushy mud underfoot. But the alpine environment was invigorating!
Back in town for lunch we spotted a crowd of people at the Hanmer Springs Bakery buying up large and leaving with bags full of freshly made sandwiches, rolls and pies.
On the shelves there was plenty of the kind of old fashioned home baking the South Island is famous for, and which is not so easily found in Auckland these days ( mores the pity!) such as eccles cakes, tan squares, melting moments , lollie cakes and enormous chocolate chip cookies, as large as my hand. We joined the queue and bought our share, it was a good lunch!
Then off for a long soak in the Hanmer Springs Thermal pools.They were packed full of people but we managed to squeeze in and enjoyed a long and relaxing soak.
For dinner that evening we decided to be indulgent and chose Malabar restaurant.
Cuisine Magazine once called Malabar Restaurant a Star of the East and the Press named it one of the best restaurants in the world. It focuses on fusion cuisine. It was a Saturday night so we were surprised that there were so few other diners there. The service was attentive and pleasant.
Our entrees were delicious: 5 fat grilled peppercorn crusted scallops served in a circle around a basil salad with toasted coconut.
For the mains my partner chose mustard and curry leaf tempered duck confit with figs, cucumber pickle, French baguette and plum sauce. While he found the sauce and accompaniments delicious and the duck tasty and tender it was slightly stringy as ducks sometimes are.
I chose the traditional vegetarian thali as after travelling in India three times in the last few years I have come to love this vegetarian dish which varies from region to region and restaurant to restaurant.
At Malabar it arrived served in 4 small bowls on a steel plate, accompanied by basmati rice. It was disappointing. The lentils were earthy and creamy, the chickpeas pleasantly piquant and the crusty potatoes with cumin were homely and tasty. But the little ribbons of veg stir-fry tasted too sweet and did not really complement the other dishes at all. We decided that we would not stay for dessert and went home for a coffee.
Having splashed out on dinner the night before we looked for a reasonably priced breakfast and descended on Scotties. In a previous life it was a Post Office. It retained its old world charm with beamed ceiling and wood paneled walls, and a charmingly unusual green carpet with Scottie dogs printed all over it.
We both ordered the basic cooked breakfast. It was good value. For $7.90 we got
2 hash browns, 2 eggs and a side in season (which turned out to be a tomato) and a plentiful supply of toast, butter, jams, honey and marmite.
Later that morning we set off for a walk up conical hill to burn off some calories and reached the lookout on the top without being too puffed. The view from the top was impressive.
In the afternoon it was back to the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools. It was cold and raining but it was again packed full of people. We soaked ourselves for an hour and enjoyed the song of tuis, and the flowering kowhai at the edge of the pool. That night it was off to one of the local pubs for a casual dinner and a glass of wine.
On the last morning we headed to the Springs Deli Café for a celebratory brunch for a niece’s birthday. The eyes of some of the party lit up when they spotted the Heartstopper on the menu, a traditional grilled breakfast served on a platter. They could hardly wait to attack it.
The rest of us enjoyed slightly more moderate helpings of eggs, muesli, or pancakes with maple syrup, banana and cream.It was cozy and the service was friendly so we took our time before leaving to drive back to Christchurch Hanmer Springs had been a great place for a scenic weekend escape with its thermal pools, lots of hearty food and tracks to walk off some of the calories gained. We plan to go back again.