Shopping complex adds life to resort

Press, 8 May 1980, Page 22

Shopping complex adds life to resort

Today, Hanmer Springs boasts about 900 permanent. residents, but more than 300,000 people have visited the thermal pool complex there since it opened on September 2, 1978. The attraction of Hanmer Springs with its pools, forest walks, skiing, all-year golf and other recreations — including the exhilarating jet boat ride down and up the Waiau River is well known, and the effect can be seen within the town. Possibly one of the most recent changes is the opening of a five-business shopping complex and easily accessible car park directly behind the familiar Waters-More general store, which is doing as well as ever. The new shops comprise The Fashion Market, run by Derek and Rhonda Knight; The Belvyn Cob lection, Mr Palmer’s antiques and curios store; Jan’s Place, a cakes, pastries and sandwiches shop, run by Janette Page; and, of course, such concessions to the outside world as T.A.B. and Bank of New Zealand branches. As the owner and builder of the complex (Mr Brian Pool) explains: “It’s all behind the original store and we’ve just built on some, new parts. “The property was for sale and I thought it was a good proposition since the opening of the new pools. Hanmer also needed a bigger shopping area, centralised shopping and taking car parking off the street. “We made a point of having the shoos built with an old-world flavour in keeping with the village atmosphere,’’ Mr Pool said. Hanmer Springs defi-;

nitely is building up and many people are bound to find it an attractive, nearbv refuge, particularly with the petrol crisis ever building up.