Sarah Wiblin is settling into her new life in Hanmer Springs.
Wiblin took over as general manager of the Hurunui District Council-owned Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa in March.
She came to Hanmer Springs from Auckland, where she was general manager of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the holder of the America’s Cup, for three years. “There are a lot of similarities and overlap between the roles, but it’s also different.
“It’s about offering great experiences.”
Her commute to work has reduced from 1.5 hours a day to a six-minute round trip.
Husband Ryan was working remotely for Westpac, travelling back to Auckland for one week a month. Born and bred Aucklander Ryan has invested in some merino clothing to adjust to the colder temperatures, Wiblin said. “‘Covid has changed the way we work. I’ve met lots of people since I’ve been here, who are working two days a week in Christchurch and the rest of the week working remotely, and I’ve met someone who works remotely for an Australian company.”
Canterbury-born Wiblin went to primary school in Kaiapoi before her family moved to Picton. She has worked in Wellington, Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.
While at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, she organised the programme in the build up to last year’s America’s Cup defence. “‘We had a roadshow where we travelled 600km around the country, visiting schools and communities,” Wiblin said. “We engaged with 32,000 people and it was just a special experience for our team to help the country engage.”
Growing up in Canterbury, Wiblin regularly visiting Hanmer Springs, but never imagined she would one day be managing the pools. ‘‘It was an opportunity which came along and it has paid off.’’
While Wiblin was focusing on the day-to-day running of the pools complex, marketing manager Shane Adcock was taking more a leadership role of Hurunui Tourism, a partnership between the council and tourism operators.
The pools were a major tourist attraction, but also served the local community, she said. ‘‘We have local community groups using the pools, like aqua joggers on a Monday and local schools come here and use it, which is really cool.’’
Hanmer Springs has potential to grow including the possibility of a flyride, growth in mountain biking and a new ice skating project, she said. The pool has a resource consent to establish a flyride, a gravity-based ride on the western face of Conical Hill Reserve. ‘‘The more reasons we can have for people to come and visit the better, Wiblin said.
Now settled, Wiblin said more of their family and friends were visiting. ‘‘Every weekend we seem to have half a dozen visitors. It’s a great spot to be and it’s a good excuse to visit.’’
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air