Advertisement
Published: December 20th 2013
Edit Blog Post
Monday 16th December, 2013. Akaroa Harbour Boat Trip & Okains Bay, Banks Peninsula, South Island, NZ
D went and purchased our tickets for the Nature Cruise on the Fox II from the Chez la Mer Warden, Sarah. We then made our way to the wharf via the Custom's House (part of Akaroa Museum). This was built in 1852 and is one of Akaroa's oldest heritage buildings. The door was open so we did as the sign said and went inside to view the interior which was full of original items from the time.
Once on the wharf we joined the half dozen or so other passengers waiting to board the vessel. The Fox II is New Zealand's oldest gaffed rigged ketch (a sailing craft with 2 masts). It has 2 wooden masts and 6 sails. M had picked this trip because it guaranteed that you would see the Hector's Dolphin (another one on M's bucket list). The Hector's Dolphin is only found in NZ and is the smallest of the world's dolphins. It is named after Sir James Hector who was the curator of the Colonial Museum in Wellington. He examined the first specimen ever found of this dolphin.
These dolphins are extremely rare with only around 7,000 left in the world. They are easy to tell apart from other dolphins because they have a unique rounded dorsal fin.
We were first on-board as we already had our tickets. When all were aboard we set off up Akaroa harbour; which is the sea filled crater of an extinct volcano. The skipper, an American guy named Roy, was very knowledgeable and explained how the harbour had been formed. We went out of the harbour under the power of the engine. We had been motoring for about 10 minutes when we saw our first dolphin. Five minutes later and the boat was surrounded by loads of them. Roy explained that sometimes they want to interact with the boats and sometimes not. Apparently they are quite a playful dolphin. We were really lucky they stuck around for ages - there must have been upwards of 15 of them including a mother with a calf. We then came across a Little Blue Penguin who was out in the harbour feeding. When we left the harbour and entered the Pacific Ocean we saw an Albatross and some NZ Fur Seals. It was such
a treat to see so many different types of wildlife in their natural habitat. Once out in the ocean Roy ordered the crew to hoist the halliard, jib and sheets (sails). At the point we drew level with the new Akaroa Head Lighthouse, we started to tac (zig-zag) back down the harbour. Roy was narrating the entire way. We visited a waterfall, giant cliffs and the Cathedral Caves (not the same ones D went to see in The Catlins!). There were colonies of Stewart Island Shags nesting on the ledges. We saw some palm trees growing on the volcano rim - this is the furthest south that they grow in the world. We were then served hot chocolate and biscuits. We sat and watched for dolphins (and we saw plenty) all the way back to the wharf. D took the helm - which we thought was a dummy wheel, until one of the crew came rushing back and secured it with some rope - apparently D had been fighting the captain for control of the vessel! Neither of us are surprised that this trip has been Voted number 1 tour in Akaroa on TripAdvisor in 2013. It was brilliant.
We returned to the car and set off for our next destination of Okains Bay. This was not too far from Akaroa and still on the Bank's Peninsula - but on the northern side. We followed the tourist route to get there and found our hostel, The Double Dutch easily (it is run by a couple from The Netherlands). It was gorgeous and only took 7 people. Okains Bay was originally settled in the 1850's by settlers who harvested the vast timber (Totara Tree) resources on the Banks Peninsula. It became a thriving farming area with beef, mutton, wool, cheese and cocksfoot (grasses) production being the main source of income. The library and school were established in the 1860's. When the cheese factory closed in 1968 the population declined to the 30 or so families which inhabit the bay today.
We went to visit the main attraction of this small settlement which is the Maori and Colonial Museum. The collection was started by a local resident, Murray Thacker. Over many years the collection of artifacts grew, until in 1968, the old cheese factory building was purchased to re-house and display the exhibits. In 1977 it was made a public
museum.
The site houses many historic remnants of the region including a working blacksmith's shop, print shop, many old horse drawn vehicles and a saddlery. Slab Stables and Slab Cottage have been reconstructed on the site. Slab cottage built in 1885 in Kaituna Valley, close to Okains bay, by some brothers who had a dairy farm. The posts slabs and roof shingles are all made of Totara logs. In 1968 a big storm completely wrecked the cottage and the remains were given to the museum.
The Whakaata (meeting house) was built observing all Maori traditions using original materials from other meeting houses. The rafters in this building came from a Wharenui built in the 1840's in Tokumoru Bay near Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island. It was in a village of about 400 people but eventually they left and it was abandoned. the Wharenui was bulldozed down but the rafters were stored in a hay shed. The Maori artifact building houses some of the rarer Maori objects that the museum owns including a sacred god stick dating back to the year 1400. There was another building holding several examples of Waka, which are traditional Maori
canoes used for travelling on rivers and the sea. There were various sizes from small 1 person fishing canoes to ocean going war canoes for 100 men. The first village school (1872 - 1939) has been reconstructed here, as has the library which was the first public library on the Banks Peninsula. It still has books from the 1800's on the shelves!
We learned about Maori tattoos and how they were used like signatures. Men would have very intricate ones covering the whole of their faces. They would pluck out any facial hair on a regular basis in order to ensure the tattoo was recognizable. The women's design usually consisted of 3 cuts around their lips. Very painful - we have been warned not to have any done here - not that we would've even contemplated it!
After we had visited the museum we went for a stroll along the Okains beach. We found some sea caves and went inside for a look. We then jumped back in the car and drove to Okains Lagoon which is just down the road from The Double Dutch. We had a lovely evening socializing with one of the other couples in
the hostel. Their names were Dick and Sharon from Arizona in the USA. It was amazing how much M and Sharon had in common - a bit freaky. We all really got on well together and had a lovely evening. It is a shame we only had 1 night. Tomorrow we head for Christchurch.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.584s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 11; qc: 52; dbt: 0.3725s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb