Hanmer Springs is now a boom town

Press, 15 May 1985, Page 16

Hanmer Springs is now a boom town

“Mr and Mrs Kiwi” are buying into Hanmer Springs. Tourists arrive by the bus loads. Some locals welcome the development. Others fear their relaxed mountain town could lose its character in the rush.

In Residence Carole Van Grondelle PROPERTY REPORTER

In some ways Hanmer remains the sleepy hollow of yesteryear. People neglect the footpaths to walk nonchalantly down the middle of the one main road, and picnickers find the alpine setting ideal for leisurely afternoons spent exploring the forest walks. But go there on a long week-end and you’ll find yourself competing with all the other Christchurch people on leave from the smog and the daily grind. From a permanent population of just over 1000, the population can swell to three thousand in a day. Many are overnight campers, but a large percentage are just daytrippers attracted by the thermal pools, the winter snow, and excellent golf, and the beautiful, treed environment.

It is a secret hideaway apparently known solely by Cantabrians. Devaluation and petrol price rises make Hanmer an attractive and affordable destination for a day trip in the country. The overseas tourist trade is still in its infancy, but it is growing. Just on 200,000 people

took a dip in Hanmer’s chief attraction, the thermal pools, last year. According to the manager, Mr Jim Orlowski, the quartermillion dollar mark looks set to be easily broken this year.

Up to five tour buses visit each week at the height of the season; this last Easter week-end saw 11,000 people immerse themselves in the warm baths.

“It was a fantastic weekend,” Mr Orlowski recalls.

Patronage is getting so enthusiastic the management is looking into upgrading and extending the facilities. The new complex was built only six years ago.

A similar situation exists with the Forest Park.

This is one of the largest State exotic forests in New Zealand, and it is hard to believe that when the first Canterbury settlers arrived in the district, Hanmer was treeless, subject to the drying effects of sun and high winds. Early this century, hundreds of acres were planted in a variety of exotic trees which have now grown into a forest of real beauty, particularly in its present,

autumnal colours. The number of visitors going on forest walks, and using the park’s facilities, has increased to 31,000 in 1984 — two and a half times the number that went through when it was first officially opened in 1978.

This recent hike in tourist interest is reflected in the demand for property. Building holiday homes is one of the real growth industries in Hanmer at present.

There has been a real upsurge in building activity in the North Canterbury tourist town, according to the Amuri County Clerk, Mr Brian Peters.

One of the largest subdivisions ever begun in Hanmer, organised by Hanmer Mountain Village Developments, Ltd, and centred on Conical Hill, is two-thirds completed.

Out of 163 sections available, in five stages, more than 100 have already sold, according to the estate agent handling the development, Mr Richard Palmer.

Section sizes average 550 sq m, plus a few rural blocks, with prices ranging between $17,500 to $25,000.

The demand has been tremendous, Mr Palmer said. Every Monday morning for the last few months he estimates that an average of three people have been waiting to talk to him about buying in Hanmer. The company is also looking at setting up a condominium complex of 26 town houses in Hanmer — the first of its type in the town, and more the sort of development seen in Queenstown. Council approval has yet to be granted, but the developers hope building will begin before Christmas. Although this is more an up-market development, Hanmer’s only resident real estate agent, Mr Jack Harte, believes that most of the demand is for the lower-td-middle-price bracket, between $40,000 to $90,000 for house and section.

Many buyers are super-

annuitants — his last three sales, for example, were to retired people, preferring to invest their money in property than in debentures. In the main, Mr Harte said, Hanmer buyers are “Mr and Mrs Kiwi.” Other land in the town has recently been surveyed. It is expected this will be developed in the future. Brian Peters quotes from a recent engineer’s report that there may be sufficient land in the town for another 600 sections, to be zoned for urban development, although he personally thinks this a little excessive.

So the little town high above the Canterbury plains is on the move. Just how it develops is what concerns some of Hanmer’s residents. Brian Peters admits the Amuri County Council, which covers a large, predominantly farming area,

has no specific policy on tourism for the unusual little town in its midst. The council has been encouraging residential development, and is aware that improvements to such things as the Hanmer water supply are needed. To that end, it has pledged $350,000 to a three-year improvement programme. Other essential amenities such as drainage and sewerage systems are quite adequate to cope with increased demand, Mr Peter maintains.

“From the council point of view, we have no major worries,” he says. He believes that by and large the sorts of holiday houses going up are of good quality, and suit the area. Nevertheless, members of the Hanmer Residents and Ratepayers Association believe Hanmer is developing quickly now, and without sufficient guidelines, direction, or promotion. What makes their task difficult is that about 70 per cent of the Hanmer ratepayers are absentee owners.

Their particular concern is that the district scheme is “loose” enough for develop-

ers and property owners to develop as they wish, more or less without restriction on design, or sympathy for Hanmer’s alpine character. One outspoken resident, Dr Graeme Scrivener, Hanmer’s general practitioner, believes that without greater restrictions Hanmer will develop in a piecemeal fashion, and without proper regard for the environment. Among his concerns are the cutting down of trees, particularly on Conical Hill to make way for subdivision, sections made too small for the practical planting of trees, and occasional “ugly houses plonked” in the middle of generally pleasant housing. “People see Hanmer as desirable because of its lovely treed environment,” he points out. “If the developers ruin it, it will ruin the developers and the locals. It’s in everybody’s interests to preserve Hanmer’s character and charm as it is.” These concerns were echoed in a recent Residents and Ratepayers survey of Hanmer ratepayers. One of the authors of an environment plan for

Hanmer Springs, completed about ten years ago, Mr George Lucking, believes that now might be an appropriate time for a repeat study to be commissioned. “Hanmer has changed quite a lot from when we were first involved,” he says. Now retired, Mr Lucking is completing a Masters degree in Resource Management at the University of Canterbury. His particular , interest is in landscape values and planning. “Hanmer is at the stage now where a couple of poor developments could be disastrous. “I think the commercial area should be kept quite tight. Hanmer should main- ' tain its rural character, not get urban. The houses want to be relaxed, not the sort of > thing you see in Ham or Avonhead. “Hanmer needs an identity of its own which is just sort of happening at the moment. The town needs pulling together, and its alpine character made more definite.

“It’s such a lovely place, it needs to be kept that way.”