I was reading an article from the New Zealand Herald on Akaroa, a small town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and it reminded me of my own trip there. My wife and I had made a day trip from Christchurch to the town, which was settled with the intention of being a French colony. Though the British beat them to it, the government allowed the French to settle in the little corner of their island.
My favorite part of Akaroa was getting there. As Highway 75 approaches the town on the Banks Peninsula, it winds its way up and over hills with sharp turns and beautiful views of the valley. The drive isn’t for the faint of heart – the drops are very steep – but it was a fun drive. Well, for me at least.
We boarded the Black Cat harbor tour with great hopes of seeing all kinds of wildlife, and we were not disappointed. We saw dolphins and birds and seals – if you like boats and wildlife, two great things that go great together, then definitely consider the Black Cat cruise.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though. Let’s just say that for a pregnant woman who was already prone to motion sickness, being on a boat for two hours didn’t make for the best afternoon. Lesson learned.
We went to Akaroa in November, and it wasn’t at all busy, and it was easily walkable. The town is located in bottom of the caldera of an ancient volcano now filled with water and makes a fantastic setting. And it’s only a short trip from Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city. So head on over – it only took us about twenty hours of total time in the air to get to Christchurch from Michigan – no problem.
The Wife said on November 10th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
There were seals? I must have missed them whilst hurling into the toilet.
ScottSto said on November 12th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Yes, there were seals. I may even have pictures – of the seals, not you in your favorite spot on the boat.