Blogs from Akaroa, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 6

Sorry for the massive jump in blogs again! Since leaving Kangaroo Island I visited Ayers rock and Alice Springs and then had a lovely Christmas in Adelaide with my Uncle, Jo and little Amy, as well as the rest of the Fletcher family! Adam, Dave and I then flew to Sydney where we watched the fireworks, had a lovely 7 course dinner cruise around the harbour with some very drunk parents! and sunbathed on Bondi beach. On 6th January Dave and I left Sydney Central YHA - one of the best hostels we have stayed in so far due to nightly films in their mini cinema and $5 meals and caught a very bumpy 2 and a half hour flight to New Zealand. We then caught the bus into Christchurch, driven by a very friendly driver ... read more

In one of our first weekends of being in NZ, David and Eriko decided that a trip to the small town of Akaroa would be a great introduction to some of the New Zealand heritage. Situated in the eastern bank of the Akaroa harbour in the Banks peninsular. The harbour is surrounded by mountains and pebbled beaches lined the waters edge. The water is serene as tall masted yachts gently ease into their resting bays. The town itself is beautiful with small French-styled houses, cafes and B&B's lined up along the narrow roads. As you walk along the road away from the town towards the lighthouse, civilization is quietened down and replaced by thick bush along the bank. Unfortunately you can't go inside the lighthouse, but the walk there and the view is beautiful and definitely ... read more

A couple of photos of Taiaroa Gorge Railway. Friday 20th March - Camped just down below Trotters Gorge last night and did our usual U turn this morning to take some photos of the Gorge plus photos of wonderful deep red toadstools! We headed for Oamaru via the scenic coastal route and stopped for a flat white coffee just outside Kakanui - lovely menu but too early for lunch. As we left we spotted a tremendous natural rock arch plus a colony of Shags. Before reaching Kakanui we turned off the road to see the Moeraki Boulders - there are about 50 of them and they are huge - the largest being 4 metres in circumference and weighing an estimated 7 tonnes! They are thought to have formed some 60 million years ago when lime salts ... read more

After a six hour journey i arrived in Christchurch for the 2nd time, i caught a bus to Chris's house and was let in by his little brother as everyone else was at work but when they all got back they gave me a really warm welcome and we caught up on what I'd been up to and what they'd been doing. I also made plans for the next day as i wanted to go to Akaroa to swim with dolphins, i managed to convince Marie (Chris's girlfriend) to come with me if i paid for the petrol down there and we called up and booked two places. The following day i got my stuff ready and Marie and i drove to Akaroa, the drive down there was really nice and didn't take very long and ... read more

To get to Akaroa, we first had to reach Christchurch, the South Island’s biggest city. Beyond Christchurch is Banks Peninsula. This rocky peninsula is the remains of a couple of volcanoes that were active in millennia past when NZ was formed. Both volcanic craters are now natural harbours, and Akaroa is the second of these. The road out from Christchurch follows Lake Grassmere for a while, then ascends the ancient lava folds, winding up and around, then down through hair-pin bends, and up again. Akaroa is reached after over 50 miles of this often narrow and winding road. Priscilla’s place is in Wainui, high up a twisting gravel road. And it was a “road” not to be imagined… One extremely steep hill, a one lane track that appeared little more than a footpath wide, yet two ... read more