Hanmer Springs Attractions — Attraction in South Island

Before we conclude our New Zealand trip, we wanted to do a classic New Zealander adventure i.e. Bungy jumping. We tried our luck at AJ Hackett near Cromwell but couldn't get a slot. As per our travel plan, we were looking for something near Christchurch and came across this one which was very suitable! For group of 3, we got 2 slots at 12 noon and 1 at 4 PM. We went to there and saw that each timeslot has only 4 jumpers and so requested them to accommodate 1 more at 12 so that we get more time in Christchurch before our flight back to the US. The "jump master" (as they call it) was ok with it since we were already there, checked in and jump takes just a few seconds. But their manager strongly denied and sent 1 of us away and asked to come back at 4. (I am almost sure that had it been in the US or Canada, they would have accommodated the request). The reason given was shortage of boats that carries a jumper from the middle of the river to the shore! At the actual jump site, there were only 2 people helping jumpers and it looked overall less professional compared to AJ Hackett as we saw from outside. They also asked me to hold their GoPro camera in hand while jumping. I was getting more worried about dropping that camera into the water than about myself :D . The manager (Mark? or Mike?) also was present up at the jumpsite and was making final checks however he was very unfriendly tending towards rude and his attitude was not much helpful when you are about to jump from 35 meter high bridge for the first time. There was another guy who was cracking funny jokes to lighten the mood of nervous jumpers but he was speaking with only white people so I didn't qualify. The boat crew for my jump were the only friendly people I came across but for my friends, there was a lady in the boat who was also rude! While this was my first jump and I enjoyed the experience, a little friendlier gesture of the staff would have made a lot of...

We enjoyed our quad biking experience at Hanmer Springs Attractions but felt it was lacking in some aspects to be able to give 5 stars. Firstly the quality of bikes was not the best in comparison to similar experiences we’ve been to in New Zealand and my partner’s bike actually broke down mid tour so we had to drive back together in the guide’s buggy - this was actually still fun and a different experience but also wasn’t the experience we booked and was a bit of a let down to break down midway, and although the guides were apologetic at the time there was no offer of anything afterwards to make up for it. We also both felt the lead guide was slowing down too much and we seemed to spend a lot of time sitting waiting for the rest of the group to catch up, I understand the safety reasons for this and of course it’s not the guides fault if some people are much slower than others but we definitely felt a bit restricted in how much fun we could have due to this, and again was different to what we have experienced elsewhere. And lastly I have to say the quality of photographs was terrible! My partner decided to just buy the whole lot (I think for $40?) since we were in a bit of a rush, rather than look through and choose individually but the majority of them were totally out of focus (see attached photo) and turned out there were only 3 of us anyway so was a real waste of money. On the flip side - both guides were very friendly and helpful, we were given a clear safety briefing at the start and definitely felt safe throughout, and the track is good fun with a nice mix of mud, river crossings, windy forest roads and...

Booked the quad bike experience and it was really awesome. Health and safety is top priority but did not take away the fun. I had a really great adventure and I'm glad I finally did it.

Long story: I'd always wanted to do quad biking in NZ. But since I lived in Chch, I kept procrastinating. Then my family came to visit in 2023. At first, my dad and uncle didn't want to do the experience. That meant that my niece (my cousin's child) and my grandmother had people to take care of them.

But apparently my dad did want to do it, and it was my mom who decided that he didn't want. So I gave my place to my dad and then I told my uncle I'll take care of my niece, and bought him a ticket too. I thought it's okay, Hanmer's only 2.5 hours away from chch.

I ended up at the animal farm with my grandma and my niece which was fun. My family really enjoyed that experience and I really wanted to do it. My dad especially, had a great time.

Fast forward to 8 months after the trip, I found myself packing up and moving back to Singapore. And a few months later (December 2024), my dad passed away.

Most of my life is still in NZ, including my husband (he's moving to sg soon), so I went back and we decided to make Hanmer a trip with my in laws. And top on the list was the quad biking experience.

I'm so glad to get to see what my dad saw during his last days, and now being able to have this shared experience with my husband and father in law. Thank you Hanmer Springs...