We spent our final day exploring New Zealand’s South Island on Banks Peninsula near Christchurch. It was formed eight million years ago from two shield volcanoes that eroded deep bays to create a very ragged coastline. Here is a photo taken from the international space station that shows what it looks like. I labeled where Christchurch and the town of Akaroa are.
The main reason we went there was to visit the town of Akaroa. It was settled by France in 1838 when several countries were still vying to control New Zealand. Eventually England won out, but this remote town retained much of its French influence.
We found it very charming and relaxing. The waterfront was more like what you would see on the French Riviera with a picturesque walkway with small restaurants and cafés behind. There were several historic cottages along the streets and cute little shops. We ate lunch there with a great view of the bay.
Akaroa is not easy to get to as you need to drive far out onto the peninsula’s hilly terrain. We took the main road there, but opted for the scenic tourist route on the way back. This was exceptional! It climbed to the summit out of Akaroa then followed the ridges all the way around the large bay. In some spots you could see bays on both sides of the car far below. We kept stopping to take pictures of this impressive road and its views. At one point we were driving in clouds that were blowing past us. It was not an easy drive and yet we met a school bus. Yes, some kids use this road everyday to go to school – they really did go uphill both ways!
We stopped near the end of the scenic route to take a short hike in a small old growth forest. Like most of the country, nearly all the native forests on the peninsula were burned and cleared within 50 years of Europeans settling there to make room for farmland. Luckily, some small pockets survived. This one featured an enormous Tōtara tree that is estimated to be over 2000 years old! It is a type of pine tree whose wood is very strong and durable. This tree was simply majestic and it got lots of hugs from us! The path went by several other interesting trees, and ended at a clearing showing a good view of Akaroa across the bay. A little bench invited you to sit down there and admire your surroundings. So we did just that, reflecting on the great time we have had seeing New Zealand’s amazing scenery and nature. This seemed like a fitting end for this part of our trip.
The following morning we would return our camper and our rental car and fly to Auckland to take an early morning flight the next day to our next destination: Perth, Australia.
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