Akaroa and the Banks peninsular

Just to the south east of Christchurch is the Banks peninsular. This was formed by an ancient volcano and consists of a jumble of rounded, grass covered mountains, with some forests and lots of bays and coastal inlets. It is beautiful and, again, has few people, when you consider that it is just a short drive from NZ’s second largest city.

We decided to drive to Akaroa, the oldest (and largest) town on the Banks peninsular.

The drive took an hour and a half on winding roads with terrific views.

Akaroa, is the oldest settlement in the Canterbury region, was originally settled by the French and still has a strong French character.

It is located on the side of a huge and perfectly formed natural anchorage called Akaroa harbour. It is a wonderful location for a town and has a decidedly up-market feel to it. It looks to be a favoured retirement spot.

Akaroa harbour has fur seals, dolphins and penguins which we failed to spot.

We took a long walk along the waterfront, through the town, to the lighthouse and beyond (as far as the sewage works, where the road ended)

On the way back, we began to look for somewhere to eat lunch and were immediately struck by how expensive the cafes and restaurants were, however, predictably, prices fell steeply as we walked further away from the yacht club and we eventually settled on a stunning garden cafe with sensible prices and a promising menu.

Morna had the house salad, I had ratatouille pasta and we both agreed it was the best lunch we had had in NZ. The French influence no doubt.

As we returned to Christchurch, with Morna driving the tin chariot, it began to rain. Morna then came upon her first chance to overtake another car…