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Published: January 7th 2012
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I went through the "Akaroa vs Kaikoura" dillemma. Both are famous for a cruise day trip out of Christchurch. After I accept the fact that I'm prone to sea sick, I ruled out whale watching in Kaikoura. And without the whale factor, plus looked at how pretty Banks Peninsula looks like, Akaroa won me over.
Went with Akaroa French shuttle (45 NZD return) which was superb and I found it value for money. Lots of scenic point stops, which is just my cup of tea since I'm a photography buff. The stop at Hill Top was too short & I couldn’t take picture perfect of the Banks Peninsula as the clouds hang so low. Gary, the driver – kindly invited me to jump to the front seat – right besides the driver so I can take better shots during the drive. On the way back we also stopped at Barry Bay’s cheese factory and Birdling Flats (a very cool pebble beach with turquoise water, crazy wave that makes you not allowed to take a swim in the sea.) I’m particularly happy because on my list, I did want to go to a pebble beach and I got it in my
2
nd day! Yayyy!
Pre-booked the Harbour Cruise with Black Cat (69 NZD) via internet. But when I got there, it seems like pre-booking is unnecessary unless you want to swim with dolphins. If you bring Jasons voucher (just grab the brochure from the iSite offices), you can even get a discount. And also there are (slightly) cheaper options with different operators.
The shuttle arrived a bit early so I have like a good 1+ hour walking around this village. It’s small – I think you can walk around within 1 hour. But it’s somehow very charming. There are lots of interesting shops with locally made stuffs (read: not made in China). And due to it’s history – they actually put French flag there! Some shops take the “French” theme all the way and even selling souvenirs imported from French! In case you need to buy something they do have Four Square grocery shop; and there’s a bank, etc. The coastline is mostly round pebbles. They do have this small spot of sands, but don’t expect Fiji type of sands. I truly enjoyed Akaroa though. There’s a famous fish & chips shop there which unfortunately I can’t eat it
as it was using beer batter, but many people seems to enjoy it.
The cruise itself was great, saw many dolphins, seals, few penguins. We also passed by couple of Salmon Farms (apparently it’s just like giant trampolines in the water). It even gets better because the sky opens up. The clouds got brushed away by the wind and leaving us with another bright blue sky! Owh, so happy! Make sure you bring a warm clothing as it does get chilly (I sat outside). A bit rough when you got to the end of the peninsula as the boat stops to wait for the dolphins to appear. I chit chat with some of the passengers and interestingly, I did get several questions “Are you here alone? How brave of you” – kind of comment. I was a bit puzzled by that question though. Isn’t New Zealand supposed to be safe? Then I have to keep explaining, yes I’m alone now but my travel buddy is coming tomorrow, etc.
One thing that makes me happy though. In New Zealand people are very friendly up to a point where it seems like they are not surprised with the fact that
I’m a muslim wearing a headscarf. I was actually expecting to get a lot of stares (because I get that when travelling to certain parts of the world – in some cases I even got fingers pointed at me) – but not in New Zealand. Then the bus driver Gary told me, as long as I smile and said hello (which I do) – the Kiwis would greet me back warmly.
I went back with a happy heart that night. It was really a great day out. To be honest I was a bit nervous about going this journey alone (for some parts). But now I think, I’ll be…. just fine…
To view more of my travel pictures – pls go to
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ariyanti_p/sets/72157628705874019/
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Sue
non-member comment
pleased you enjoyed Akaroa
Hi I really enjoyed your blog about Akaroa & reading that you enjoyed it. If you want fish & chips without beer batter you can ask for crumbed fish which uses bread crumbs instead but make sure you ask for cod or some other local fish. Fresh hoki is fine but often it is processed & not so nice as a real fillet. Most New Zealanders will do just as the bus driver said if you smile & say hello & yes mostly NZ is safe but it is a good idea to be sensible. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.