Travelogue

Our lovely campsite in QueenstownOur itinerary was evolving as we went along. Originally we thought we would do an out-and-back to Queenstown to make the driving easier on Herb, but then we realized that we didn’t want to just repeat places we had already been to, when there was a whole western coast to explore.

So rather than spending 3 nights in Queenstown as we originally planned, doing hikes, a gondola ride, and a scenic flight / helicopter landing in Mount Cook, we decided to cut our Queenstown stop down to 1 day and then head over to and up the western coast to see new places. Plus we could still do a helicopter ride to a glacier in Fox Glacier.

Onsen Hot PoolsPlus, Queenstown is a big city, which is really not our thing, especially with a campervan our size.

So, all we salvaged from our original Queenstown plans was a reservation at the Onsen Hot Pools Retreat and Day Spa, where we would soak in a lovely hot tub overlooking the Shotover River Canyon. We had tried to get a combination soak and massage, but the massages were all booked up

Fortunately, I had the foresight to reserve the Top 10 Holiday Park Campground, which was within walking distance to the Onsen Hot Pools for our 4:00 appointment.

Onsen Hot PoolsThe photos of people soaking in one of their idyllic cedar-line hot tubs with beautiful panoramic views of the Shotover River is what lured me into this place.

Their website also stated that they offer a "Kiwi twist" on the traditional Japanese onsen experience. I had never had a Japanese onsen experience, or for that matter, any onsen experience at all, but it sounded great.

Basically a Japanese onsen places an emphasis on harmony with nature, which was accomplished here with the awesome views of the Shotover River canyon and surrounding mountains right from our pool.

View from our Hot PoolThere were several pools to choose from, but I had reserved the Original Onsen Cedar Hot Pool, which was larger and round, rather than the newer oval tubs.

Each of the pools is filled with pure water from the surrounding mountains which is heated to approx. 38.3 degrees (101 Fahrenheit) - perfect.

We had 60 minutes to spend in our lovely private pool, gazing out at the lovely scenery.

We even saw a few of Queenstown's adrenaline-pumping jet boats go by in the Shotover River below us.

View from our Hot PoolQueenstown is known as the adventure capital of New Zealand, and speeding along at 90 kph, making 360 degree spins on the river was one of them.

We much preferred sitting in our private hot pool sipping our complimentary Chardonnay and raspberry ice cream. We got enough adrenaline pumping just driving on the left side of the road on the narrow, winding, steep roads of New Zealand.

10 minutes before our time was up, a little bell rang warning us that our time was almost up.

It was just the right amount of time. We left feeling much more relaxed than when we had entered.