New Zealand:Akaroa & the Banks Peninsula

March 8-9, 2008

Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula

We took a three-day trip 1 ½ hrs southeast of Christchurch to Akaroa, on the Banks Peninsula, a town that retains some of its French heritage from1840, when the French settled it before the British. Although the British took possession, the French chose to stay. It’s situated at the mouth of a harbor, but all around it steep hills rise up from sea level. And on them graze sheep bred for the territory, where we thought only goats could go. Some of it is almost vertical. (This sheep is behind a fence, unlike the ones on the vertical slopes, but it's very hard to photograph them from the correct angle--they are tiny white dots.)

The topography resulted from volcanic eruptions, as is common for the various bays and harbors along the coast of the South Pacific. The approach to it is just gorgeous—you’re driving along the snaking main road and suddenly there’s an intensely turquoise harbor under you. The day we arrived was hot and sunny. People were walking around in shorts and swimsuits.


Along the way, a protected inlet with a rooster and swans		Approaching Akaroa

The bay		We hiked up to the lighthouse

And back down to town, close to the dock for the dolphin cruise we would take the next day.

The next day was windy and rainy, not so much fun for walking around but good for spotting a lot of dolphins on a cruise. The dolphins around here are Hector’s dolphins, the smallest variety, and they were playfully racing the boat we were on.


Hector dolphins	Cliffs along the harbor where there could be penguins or seals

Sleeping accommodations varied—a B&B one night (on Smith St—the English section of town) in a beautiful house with a great view of the harbor, but with a shared bathroom (the description didn’t mention that) a flight of stairs up; luckily no other guests were there to share it. Not enough surface space to put things on. The next night a very spacious motel suite (on Rue Lavaud) with its own kitchen and a “guest bedroom” that we could have housed the kids in, if they had been there.

Gardens show a combination of standard British/American plantings and exotic South Pacific ones.


View of hilltop houses	Church	Garden

Geranium	Artichoke plant in a garden	Flowering shrub

Garden	Flowering shrub

We took a walk through a “domain,” a nature reserve planted with rare trees. A fantail hopped around us, always following us or showing us the way. We figured out that it was attracted by the bugs that we stirred up as we walked.


Fantail		New Zealand pigeon

Huge old trees	Toadstool	Flowering shrub

And a walk through the cemeteries, situated almost as vertically as the sheep, and with more gorgeous views of the harbor. Some of the gravestones are very old, from the original settlers, others newer. There’s a Catholic section, a section for “Dissenters and Public Cemetery,” and an Anglican section. The old French settlers get the best view.


Cemetery sign

Gravestone from 1878	Views of bay from cemetery

Bob took a much longer hike early in the morning to the top of one of the hills, where he got even better views.


Views of Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula