Bonjour Akaroa!

We had a few days before heading to our final destination in the South Island, Christchurch and we'd chosen to spend it on the Banks Peninsula - about 50 miles from Christchurch. To get there we had to drive over Arthur's Pass on State Highway 73 for the second time. Fortuitously the weather was better than it had been on our first crossing. I once again stopped at the Otira Viaduct and encountered some more keas. They really are fearless and inquisitive birds. As I was trying to frame a photo of the scenery one hopped closer and closer until it was only about a meter away from the camera.

The Otira Viaduct

An inquisitive kea

We stopped in Arthurs Pass village (lunching at the appropriately named 'Wobbly Kea') and took in a few walks. The first climbed to a magnificent waterfall called The Devils Punchbowl'. It was reached by way of a river crossing and stiff climb through verdant rain forest filled with birdsong. We could hear, but not see, bellbirds, native to New Zealand,who have a beautiful melodious range of song. We also saw other birds including silvereye, rifleman and the New Zealand robin which, unlike the British bird of the same name, doesn't have a red breast. One hopped around in front of us for a while and appeared to be very comfortable being close to human company.

New Zealand Robin

The waterfall itself was in full flow as a result of the recent rain. It plummeted into a bowl before cascading over a second drop sending plumes of spray and mist into the air.

The Devils Punchbowl seen from afar through the rain forest

....and up close

To break up the journey we once again camped by Lake Pearson before continuing on the next morning stopping for a coffee in a small town called Springfield. Next to the coffee shop by a play area was an amusing symbol adopted by the town..clearly a modern cultural reference.

Once we'd left the mountains we drove over the flat Canterbury plains, skirting around Christchurch. Our destination was the Banks peninsula and the small harbour town of Akaroa. The Banks Peninsula was formed as a result of volcanic activity about 10 million years ago. Two former volcanic craters are now harbours (Lyttleton and Akaroa) and the landmass between has green mountains and long valleys that run down to peaceful little sandy bays. The geography meant that driving to Akaroa involved taking yet more winding roads...something we'd got quite used to by now. We stopped just before reaching Akaroa to stock up at Barrys Bay Cheese - an award winning cheese maker that has been going for over 100 years. I can testify the award winning Gouda is excellent and the milk is all sourced locally. 

Akaroa is a pretty harbour town, originally a whaling station, but now geared very much towards tourism. Its also unique in New Zealand as having its origins as a French Colony. We walked along the main street which has a good selection of food, clothing and arts and crafts retailers and there was plenty of evidence of its French origins, as many of the road signs are in French. It felt slightly surreal to be wandering down the Rue Jolie.

Akaroa street signs

Akaroa from the water

We explored the town on foot - walking past a lighthouse and up to the monument that commemorated the assertion of British sovereignty..and at this end of town (as if to reinforce the point) some street names were in English, notably a 'Smith Street'.

We'd booked a harbour cruise for the next morning which dawned bright and calm. Perfect weather. At 10.00 am we board a small catamaran with about a dozen other people and were greeted by Patti and Mark who were to guide us around the harbour and out to the Pacific Ocean. We were offered a complimentary drink. Mrs B. opted for some bottled water but when they mentioned an award winning Sauvignon Blanc from a local vineyard my ears pricked up. It was only 10.15 am, which is normally a little early even for me, but I thought it would have been most discourteous not to have tried some local produce.

Supporting the local economy...

The cruise took us around the harbour and Mark pointed out some of the really interesting geology including caves formed not by wind or wave erosion but by volcanic gases. 

Volcanic cliffs, Akaroa

Our hopes of seeing some wildlife were not disappointed too. We passed colonies of shag, fur seals and spotted a little blue penguin.

Little Blue Penguin

Fur seal pup

The highlight though was a sighting of a pod of Hectors dolphins who cavorted through the waves, swam right in front of the boat and put on quite a show. These are the smallest dolphins in the world, growing to no more than 1.4 meters in length and they have a distinctive 'Mickey Mouse ear' shaped dorsal fin. They can only be found in New Zealand.

After returning to shore we decided to explore some more of the peninsula so took Ned up the summit road. This is a high road that provides panoramic views and access to the eastern bays. We detoured down to Le Bons Bay, a remote spot, following the post bus (which also carries tourists). After a picnic lunch we wandered on the beach and to our surprise spotted a solitary yellow eyed penguin. The postman and his group were around and he suggested if we'd got time we try and shepherd it back to the sea. Mrs B. and myself tried to herd the penguin but didn't get very far as after waddling a few meters it resolutely decided to stay put. Eventually we decided to leave it in peace although Mrs B. wanted to smuggle it back to the UK.

A penguin herder...

...and a stubborn penguin

After our failed attempts at penguin herding we climbed Lavericks Peak (775 meters) and this gave stunning views over the peninsula. 

After exploring another remote bay we returned to Akaroa for fish and chips and our last night sleeping in Ned. It was almost time to hand Ned back to the hire company with one last journey to take the following day and then our final few days in New Zealand.