Christchurch and Banks Peninsula

View over Akaroa Harbour

Overcast morning. Spent a little time sorting photos (John) and catching up with the blog (Aenea) [Note to self: we need to take two netbooks with us the next time we keep a travel blog - one for John to organise his photos and the other for Aenea to write the blog.] Set off mid-morning for the Banks Peninsula and Akaroa. Guide book suggested a route via Sumner and over the Port Hills and Gebbies Pass but, after consulting the map, we reckoned this might be a bit too much driving for our part-day outing so we stuck to the main road. This took us out through the sprawling suburbs of Christchurch, through the flat plain south of the city and along the shores of Lake Ellesmere to the south coast of the Banks Peninisula. From here the road travels inland along the shores of Lake Forsyth and then starts climbing up into the hills.

Akaroa Bay

The end of the Banks Peninsula is an old volcano crater, the rim of which is almost entirely complete. So our road took us up to the rim of the crater, from where there was a stunning view down to the waters of Akaroa Harbour, which fills the centre of the crater, with several inlets and little villages on the shores. [Note: NZ uses the word 'harbour' to denote a large sea inlet, not just the port.]  Stopped for photos, coffee and carrot cake (one of the best) at the Hilltop Inn. Wound our way down the other side, then up and down and around the inlets to reach Akaroa, in a picturesque setting on the eastern side of the crater. By now the sun had come out and stayed with us for the rest of the day.

Akaroa house (notice French flag in garden)

Wandered round Akaroa which is a pretty little seaside town with a French influence. Back in 1838, the French bought the lands of the Banks Pensinsula from the Maoris. This gave the British a bit of a fright but, before the French returned to secure their purchase, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British and the Maoris and the British planted their flag at Akaroa. Matters were also complicated by the Maori re-selling the area several times. So, instead of a colony, the French ended up with a small settlement. Akaroa retains French street names and plays up its Gallic past for the benefit of the tourists.

Akaroa Lighthouse

View from walk

There are several nice arts and craft shops in the village and Aenea had to keep a tight hold of the credit card. Bought a nice wooden bowl as a belated wedding present for Gordon & Pauline. In the afternoon we walked along the shore to an old lighthouse, moved to its current spot from its original location on the outer headland, and then went for a longer walk up the hillside behind the town. This turned out to be a steeper climb than we had expected but provided us with good views of Akaroa and the waters of Akaroa Harbour. Then it was time to head home as we'd arranged to go out for a meal with Gordon that evening.