Blogs from Akaroa, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 3

Sunday 15th December, 2013. Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, South Island, NZ - A Taste of France As we had now got a tour and accommodation booked for tomorrow we decided that we could afford a lazy housekeeping day today. We did another load of laundry and then had breakfast. We decided that we would spend the day walking around the town, taking in the French feel and enjoying the good weather. However, before we started sightseeing we went and purchased some sunscreen and a pair of flip flops for M whose feet were too hot in her trainers. This is the first really hot weather we have had so far this trip. The French flavour is really strong in Akaroa. The street names are the first thing that strike you. The main street, on which our hostel ... read more

Ici va se retrouver, plutôt qu'un récit relativement linéaire de mon voyage, quelques remarques que j'ai fait, sans ordre fixe, sur la vie qu'on ces kiwis. -Pour une relativement petite population 4.4 millions au total, la scène alternative me semble très présente, surtout dans les 3 grandes villes que j'ai visiter, avec une mention spéciale pour Wellington qui, avec son très fort quartier universitaire, il me semble que ça serait très plaisant que d'y vivre. J'ai du voir plus de jean a trou, de Doc, d'encre et de magasin alt là en 3 semaines que j'en voit a Montréal, c'est pour dire! -Je ne connais pas la réputation des québécois en terme de caractère, mais les kiwis sont exceptionnels, jamais pressés, fâchés ou impatients, c'est vraiment quelque chose a voir et a vivre, ils s'appellent entre ... read more

Today (Monday 24 December 2012) we docked in Akaroa, New Zealand. Akaroa, long harbour in the Maori language, is the crater of a volcano which became extinct about 6m years ago. Akaroa is located on the eastern side of the south island (just south of Wellington). As there was a trip with a difference, which didn't start 'til 10:30 am, we decided to do that tour. To reach the town we had to go by tender and once in the town we boarded the ketch Fox II for a wildlife tour of the crater. The boat, which was built in 1920 and started life as a British cargo boat, was captained by Roy, the current owner. The crew were three young people who are involved in one of the many conservation schemes in NZ. We sailed ... read more

Akaroa The morning started cloudy but soon cleared. We decided to go on a walk to the Heritage Park which was on top of the peninsula. It was a steep climb and we climbed and climbed and at each stage we saw more and more beautiful views. We took the walk slowly as it was very warm. The sound of the birds was wonderful and there were an amazing variety of flowers and plants. Some of it was just like a set from the hobbit the trees were huge. We eventually made it to the top where we found Heritage Park which was not what we expected, a bit disappointing. We then walked all the way back down the hill, through the holiday park and to the village. The height of the hill was 2500 ft, ... read more

Had a fanastic drive through Arthur's Pass yesterday from west coast to east coast of the South Island As usual the drive was not for the faint hearted, it included going over a bridge one vehicle wide with a railway line running down the middle, a rock shelter built over the road to prevent vehicles being hit by falling rocks, a waterfall diverted to avoid the road. The road was so steep at one point even with my foot to floor only just managed 35km/hr. Almost forgot road was so high up my ears popped whilst I was driving. I had planned to do a walk at Aurthur's Pass Village but was put off by the fact that local info centre hired out location beaons. Thought I would be out of depth, but asked if there ... read more