Our view is framed by hills running steeply to the sea. The bay stretches out beyond the hills to the horizon where at times it seems seamlessly attached to the sky. Pushing through the small breakers on our kayaks, we are soon in deep water – it is an impossible turquoise colour. Large forests of kelp sway with the swell which seems to increase as we head further out. … [Read more...]
Look out for Local Events when you travel
The Le Bons Bay Picnic Le Bons Bay is a tiny beach and farming community on the Banks Peninsula. Sleepy is a great way to describe it, apart from New Years Day when suddenly cars arrive from all over the Peninsula, converging on the Domain for the annual Le Bons Bay Picnic. Starting at 1pm in the afternoon, there is time to recover from New Year … [Read more...]
St Lukes Little Akaloa
The Banks Peninsula is made up of dozens of small bays formed by the lava flows from two extinct volcanoes. It is a very distinctive landscape, and is the backyard for many Christchurch residents, and a must visit for visitors to the region. Recently we stayed in Little Akaloa, one of these small bays around the Peninsula and had a simple kiwi Christmas. Nearby is a … [Read more...]
A Kiwi Christmas – a Beach and a Bach
This Christmas we celebrated in a classic kiwi bach at the seaside. A bach is a NZ term for simple accommodation – a holiday house without fuss. It had an outside toilet, room for a tent, a deck to enjoy the view out to the bay. The bedrooms were cosy, but the kitchen easily provided the means to feed the extended family, and a BBQ on the deck is an added bonus. At the … [Read more...]
Banks Peninsula Track
This 35 Km track was one of New Zealand's first private tracks, walked over 2 or 4 days it covers 35 Kms along the coastline of this long extinct volcano near Christchurch in the South Island. Maori arrived on this ancient weathered volcano with fire and adzes, dogs and rats and soon a third of the forest was gone. Early European settlers quickly cleared the rest of the land … [Read more...]
Otanerito Bay and Hinewai – it is our last night on the Banks Peninsula Track
We have arrived for our last night on the Banks Peninsula Track- tonight we are in Otanerito Bay. The walkers have done another relatively short (6km) coastal walk. The latte ladies have been back to Akaroa for, of course, a latte. We have to line up with the hundreds of milling visitors of one of the many cruise ships that visit Akaroa at this time of year. These … [Read more...]
Stony Bay Opatuti – our third night on the Banks Peninsula Track
The walkers have a shorter trip today - 8kms up and down along the coast, past Seal Cove - though every cove has seals on this coast. Arriving at Stony Bay is like we have stepped into a kind of hobbiton - funky small buildings placed in beautiful gardens. There is a pool table with paint pots to catch the balls, two fire baths to relax after the day, a fire pit to gather … [Read more...]