Hanmer is a spa village first, built around 23 thermal and freshwater pools on Amuri Avenue. Skiers drive 17 km up Jacks Pass to the Amuri club field or 60 km round to Mt Lyford. Once the fields close, the bookings shift to bikes in Hanmer Forest and jet boats under the Waiau Ferry Bridge.
Where should I pick up hire skis for Hanmer Springs?
From the village, before the drive up Jacks Pass. The Hanmer Springs Ski Area keeps no hire gear on the field, so skis, boards and chains come from Ski Gear Direct at 20 Conical Hill Road, at $65 for an adult set. Mt Lyford hires at its own day lodge for $55, but it doesn't rent chains, so pick those up in town too.
Which summer bookings can I make in Hanmer Springs?
Bike hire on Conical Hill Road for Hanmer Forest, or a shuttle to Maling Pass and the St James Cycle Trail. Down at the Waiau Ferry Bridge, Hanmer Springs Attractions runs jet boats through the gorge, grade 2 rafting and a 35 m bungy. The Acheron Road through Molesworth has been open since 1 October, for traffic between 7am and 7pm.
Conical Hill Road or the mountain
Skiers bound for the Amuri club field hire in the village, since the field keeps no gear. Mt Lyford fits its hire gear in the Terako Day Lodge, though you still need chains from town to get there.
| Shop | Adult skis, boots, poles | Board and boots, one day | Hires | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ski Gear Direct
20 Conical Hill Road
|
$65 | $65 | Skis, boards, boots, poles, helmets, jackets and pants, kids' sets from $50, snow chains at $70 a day, and the ski-field shuttle | Phone 027 362 1101 |
| Shop | Adult skis, boots, poles | Board and boots, one day | Hires | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mt Lyford Ski Area rental
Terako Day Lodge, on the mountain
|
$55, $45 afternoon | $55, $45 afternoon | Skis, boots and poles, boards, clothing; ages 7 to 17 $45, under 7 $35 | Fitted at the lodge counter |
NZD, at the winter 2026 rates printed on the two ski area websites. No 2027 hire prices are out yet, so check before you pay.
Hanmer Forest was planted on bare tussock from 1902, and its trails now start where the village streets end. The jet boats and the bungy work from the bridge on the road in, and Jacks Pass leads to the St James and Molesworth.
Hanmer Adventure prices from 1 November 2026, helmets included.
Full-suspension e-bikes ($119 for 2 hours, $199 a day), full-suspension mountain bikes ($65 an hour, $149 a day) and hardtails ($95 a day), with a mechanic on site at 20 Conical Hill Road.
Bike prices →59 km one way at grade 3 to 4, a 6 to 9 hour ride or two days using the Lake Guyon, Pool and Scotties huts. Hanmer Adventure shuttles riders to the Maling Pass car park.
Shuttle →A self-guided four-hour mountain bike route set up by Hanmer Adventure.
Their website →Pedal cruisers beside the Alpine Crazy Putt mini golf: $30 an hour for the two-seat Sport, $46 for the Limo, which takes four.
Their website →Hanmer Springs Attractions, 839 Hanmer Springs Road, locally owned since 2009. Combo deals mix any of these.
A grade 2 raft trip down the river, with a jet boat ride back up.
Their website →Power-steering quad bikes, two-seat off-road buggies, claybird and laser clay shooting, and paintball.
Their website →Rides from the St James Homestead car park, 20 minutes out: $160 for 1.5 hours, $350 a half day, $550 a full day, and private overnight trips with tipi camps and hot-spring soaks from $1,300.
Day rides →The public road across New Zealand's largest farm, 207 km to Blenheim. No public road in New Zealand climbs higher than Island Saddle, at 1,347 m.
Road status →Before Jacks Pass
The club field on Mt St Patrick sells no food and keeps no hire gear, so whatever you need for the day leaves Hanmer with you.
Up to Mt St Patrick
Road distance from the village. The access road is gravel and single-lane.
Doug and Jenny Simpson started building the field and its log-chalet village off SH70 in 1986, and it is still family-run. Lyford drops 501 m off Mt Terako against the club field's 310 m, and rates three times as much of its terrain for beginners.
Hanmer to the Terako Basin
Kilometers left to the ski area. Lyford's 2026 season is over, and it hasn't said when 2027 opens.
130 km north-west of Christchurch: SH1 north, SH7 from Waipara, then the signposted turn up SH7A, 9 km off the Lewis Pass road.
Hanmer Connection leaves Rolleston Ave at 9am, collects at the airport at 9:15 if you book it ($20 extra) and reaches Hanmer at 11. It heads back at 4:30pm, and $80 buys an adult return.
Book the coach stop printed as Waiau (Thrillseekers) and you get off at the Waiau Ferry Bridge at 10:50am, the adventure base before town. The coach only stops where someone has booked. Stops and times →
Hanmer Tours & Shuttle seats up to 11: $350 to Christchurch or the airport, $35 a head to Boyle Village, Windy Point or Lewis Pass for trampers, and $30 a head to Mt Lyford or Maruia Springs.
Kaikoura is 65 km off in a straight line and 135 km away by road.
Hanmer Springs Service Station is at 154 Hanmer Springs Road, on the way in.
The Four Square is at 12 Conical Hill Road. Foodway, across Amuri Avenue from the pools, stays open late.
Inside the pools complex at 42 Amuri Ave West, open 10am to 6pm every day.
North Canterbury farmers formed the Amuri Ski Club in 1957, and volunteers still run the field as a non-profit. It has 52 ha in bounds and 310 m of vertical below a 1,769 m top, and the club rates it 10% beginner, 60% intermediate and 30% advanced.
A fixed-grip learners tow on the groomed beginners area. Lessons run at weekends only and must be booked ($35 adult, $30 child for a group), and an adult pass for the beginner area alone is $55.
Most of the field. Shirtfront, Table Top and parts of Bordeaux Basin are groomed when the snow allows, and the 807 m Poma, which the club calls the longest in the Southern Hemisphere, does the climbing.
The club counts 30% of the field as advanced, back basins included, and describes the whole place as one big natural park. Shirtfront has its own nutcracker rope tow.
Named for the bottle of Bordeaux Blanc opened on Mt St Patrick in 1957, the year the club began.
Robinson Lodge sleeps up to 64 in bunks on generator power, $60 a bed, and you bring a sleeping bag. The heated Day Lodge has a log burner and a deck with a barbecue, and the tows run until you want to stop.
A learners tow and weekend lessons, but only 10% of the terrain and no hire on the hill.
Most of the field, with the long Poma and groomed Table Top.
The back basins, on 310 m of vertical.
Under-11s pay nothing beside a paying adult, toboggans are welcome on the field, and $200 covers a family.
An adult pays $90 a day, a club member $45.
Our ratings for the Amuri club field, out of 5.
These run in winter and summer alike. The pools, Manuka Skies and Activity Hanmer sell online, while the fishing guide wants an email.
23 pools from 32 to 42°C, hydroslides and a day spa. An Online Saver entry booked by 10pm the night before is $40 for adults, against $43 Flexi.
Their website →Telescope stargazing at a site on Mt Rodney, from $109, and they pick you up in the village at no charge.
Their website →High-country flights from $550 a person, plus charters into Molesworth and St James stations and hunting and fishing drops.
Their website →Archery, air rifles, axe throwing, tree climbing ($39) and puzzle hunts from $28, out on Jollies Pass Road.
Their website →Serge Bonnafoux has guided anglers to brown and rainbow trout since 2002, sight fishing with a fly. Booked by email.
Their website →Monteith's, O'Flynn's and Fire & Ice look across Amuri Avenue at the pools, and two of the three won't take a booking. Most of the other kitchens are on Conical Hill Road or Jacks Pass Road.
Platters, a kids' menu and fires inside and out, 11am to 9:30pm. No bookings.
Calls itself Hanmer's home of late nights. Pizza from 5pm with free delivery, pool, darts and quiz nights.
Open from 8am, with a playground, two fireplaces and a seafood platter. No reservations.
Inside the pools complex, with wood-fired pizza, ice cream and coffee on a deck from 10am to 6pm.
Modern European in a converted house at 31 Amuri Avenue, under this name since 2012. Book online.
Indian, at 5 Conical Hill Road.
Cocktails, a pool table, gourmet pizza and stonegrill dishes at 6 Jacks Pass Road.
Fudge from The Fudge Shop, here since 2001, and gelato, at 16 Conical Hill Road.
Tea, coffee, toastie machines and a kitchen to cook in. There is no shop, so come prepared.
The on-mountain cafe in the Terako Day Lodge.
The Amuri field is self-catering only, so pack lunch. Opening hours change with the season.
Jollies Pass to the Acheron
These cover the ski road, forest closures, the Acheron's hours and getting a table on Amuri Avenue.
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FAQ
Answers checked October 2026. Prices and rules change each season, so confirm with the operator before you go.
Contact UsNo. The club field keeps no hire gear at all, so collect skis, boards, boots and helmets from Ski Gear Direct at 20 Conical Hill Road before you drive up. An adult set is $65 a day and a child's ski set $55.
Photos: FutureKiwi (CC BY-SA 4.0), Leyo (CC BY 2.5), Schwede66 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wildman NZ (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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