14 March
Another beautiful - and hot - day. After a delicious breakfast with a couple from Melborne and another couple from Perth (formerly Birmingham), exchanging stories of our travels, we boarded the Sailing Yacht 'Manutara' with Ray, the skipper, and a very pleasant Finnish couple with unpronouncable names. There wasn't enough wind to sail initially, but we had some great encounters with Hector Dolphins, swimming along with the boat, and with White Flipper Blue Penguins, a species only found in the Banks Peninsula. We also saw shags and cormorants and took a look at a mussel 'farm' and a salmon 'farm'. On our return the wind piped up and we had an excellent sail. I even took the helm during a quieter period. A thoroughly enjoyable morning with a most knowledgeable and entertaining raconteur for skipper.
After lunch at "The Pepper Pot" we did a bit of shopping and dropped in to say 'hello' to Beryl and Chris Applin who live in a historic property in Akaroa. Beryl's sister, Margaret, lives in Winfrith Newburgh and they will be doing a 'house swap' with a couple in the village later this year so we will see them again then. They were very hospitable - we enjoyed tea and scones and jam. Afterwards Richard drove up onto the Summit Road on the edge of the crater. We had intended to go to Okains Bay but the road was very windy and steep with precipitous edges, and progress was necessarily slow. We eventually gave up our original idea, but the route had provided some excellent views down to the harbour and out to the Pacific so had not been in vain. I attempted to swim when we got back - off the beach opposite our B&B. Plenty of children were in the water but they are obviously a lot hardier than me. Two words came to mind - bloody and cold.
Later we drove to Okunu, which is a tiny Maori settlement just outside Akaroa. It is where the Maori of the Southern Island signed the Treaty of Waitangi giving the British title to their lands (the original treaty having been signed in the North Island near the Bay of Islands which we are visiting later in our trip). We had seen Okunu from the boat in the morning. The tiny church was originally Anglican but the frontage now reflects Maori culture. In the evening we enjoyed a glass of white wine on our terrace before eating at The Trading Rooms. The chef is a Kiwi, originally from Kaikora, and the front of house is managed by his young girlfriend who comes from near Crediton. We had a very good meal there - R had fillet steak and I had lamb - the most sweet and flavoursome I had ever tasted. Good desserts followed. But we thought the wine was over-priced. Definitely a place we would recommend though. Still warm when we walked back to the B&B.
13 March
An early start from Wellington with our flight
supposedly departing at 0940, but, in fact, not leaving until after 1000. Good views of the Wairapa and of the coast further south en route - and no turbulence. Picked up our hire car from Apex and navigated fairly easily around the edge of Christchurch, starting to recognise the terrain once we had passed the turning for Lincoln where we had approached the Banks Peninsula from the south on our previous visit. Stopped at the Hilltop viewpoint to take photos of the harbour and then at Duvauchelle to have lunch on a terrace lookin
g out over the water. It was very hot and bright by this time and Akaroa was looking at its very best when we arrived at Garthowen. Have a look at the website - it is everything it is cracked up to be and its waterfront position is just stunning, as are the roses in the front garden. We took a walk eastwards along the waterfront to the wharf, boatshed, lighthouse and then up to Green Park where there is a memorial marking the British pipping the French to the post in establishing a foothold in New Zealand! The Union Flag was flying there. On the way back I dipped my toes in the water on the beach opposite Garthowen but it looked a bit brown (caused by the recent southerlies) so I have not swum today. We have had a very relaxing early evening sitting about reading information, catching up with e-mails and marvelling at the wonderful shower - there is also a deep claw foot bath which I will dissol
ve into at some point. We hope that our stay will not include the excitement of after-shocks since these are still being experienced here. Several buildings have white tape around them to warn you to avoid going too near since they are unstable. We are told that Wilderness House, where we stayed in 2008, has been damaged. This house (Garthowen) is a new build - made to look like a typical Akaroan house. As we are staying on the ground floor it seems we are less likely to feel the quakes than on the lst floor where the guest lounge and dining room, plus veranda, are situated. Met a couple with a golden retriever today. When I fussed the dog I found he's a guide dog to his mistress who is blind. They come from Christchurch and he has been very traumatised by the after-shocks. All three have come to Akaroa for the weekend for a bit of 'de-stressing'. We enjoyed a couple of glasses of NZ white on our verandah, before going to 'Ma Maison', a restaurant overlooking the bay which we had visited on our previous trip. There are far fewer people around this time and we had a table in the window, enjoying blue cod (Richard) and Akaroa salmon (me). This was our first warm evening to date.
supposedly departing at 0940, but, in fact, not leaving until after 1000. Good views of the Wairapa and of the coast further south en route - and no turbulence. Picked up our hire car from Apex and navigated fairly easily around the edge of Christchurch, starting to recognise the terrain once we had passed the turning for Lincoln where we had approached the Banks Peninsula from the south on our previous visit. Stopped at the Hilltop viewpoint to take photos of the harbour and then at Duvauchelle to have lunch on a terrace lookin
g out over the water. It was very hot and bright by this time and Akaroa was looking at its very best when we arrived at Garthowen. Have a look at the website - it is everything it is cracked up to be and its waterfront position is just stunning, as are the roses in the front garden. We took a walk eastwards along the waterfront to the wharf, boatshed, lighthouse and then up to Green Park where there is a memorial marking the British pipping the French to the post in establishing a foothold in New Zealand! The Union Flag was flying there. On the way back I dipped my toes in the water on the beach opposite Garthowen but it looked a bit brown (caused by the recent southerlies) so I have not swum today. We have had a very relaxing early evening sitting about reading information, catching up with e-mails and marvelling at the wonderful shower - there is also a deep claw foot bath which I will dissol
ve into at some point. We hope that our stay will not include the excitement of after-shocks since these are still being experienced here. Several buildings have white tape around them to warn you to avoid going too near since they are unstable. We are told that Wilderness House, where we stayed in 2008, has been damaged. This house (Garthowen) is a new build - made to look like a typical Akaroan house. As we are staying on the ground floor it seems we are less likely to feel the quakes than on the lst floor where the guest lounge and dining room, plus veranda, are situated. Met a couple with a golden retriever today. When I fussed the dog I found he's a guide dog to his mistress who is blind. They come from Christchurch and he has been very traumatised by the after-shocks. All three have come to Akaroa for the weekend for a bit of 'de-stressing'. We enjoyed a couple of glasses of NZ white on our verandah, before going to 'Ma Maison', a restaurant overlooking the bay which we had visited on our previous trip. There are far fewer people around this time and we had a table in the window, enjoying blue cod (Richard) and Akaroa salmon (me). This was our first warm evening to date.
