Holiday: Day 22 – ‘Allo ‘Allo Akaroa!

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6.05am: Hello all! 😉. Another day, another part of New Zealand to discover! 👍

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Day 22 – Where are we?
(Wednesday, 20th November)

8.58am: We left Christchurch today and headed for Akaroa, about 90 minutes away. We’d been advised that it was going to be a very twisty (=slow) road as we got closer to this small town, part of the Banks Peninsular. And when I say small, I really mean it. The population is just shy of 1000 and the town is just 2 square kilometres in size. The location has a strong French vibe and is famous for its French cuisine, spectacular harbour and rare dolphins. I’m hoping the latter might bring some whales with them! 🤔

The main route here was via the SH75. It was all pretty straightforward, with no hold ups, but with it being a single-carriageway all the way, we made slower progress than we would have liked where we averaged just 60km/h (38mp/h). Looking at the landscape, it was a lot flatter in places that we’ve experienced so far, since arriving in New Zealand.

10.29am: We arrived just before 10.30 and because we couldn’t check in until 2pm, we took a look around. Two things to note. First, the weather was the worst we’d experienced since we got here with rain on and off and a coolish 15℃. Second, the advice about the twisty roads coming into the town proved to be true – and a real challenge. I consider myself to be an experienced driver, but in all the motoring I’ve done, here and abroad, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a long winding road. It just went on and on… up and up… down and down… up and up (again) and then finally down before we finally arrived in Akaroa. It was all quite stressful. Phew! Not to be recommended!!! 😣😣. Oh, bugger, we’ve got to come back this way tomorrow on our way out!! 🙄

Akaroa is an example, in part, of France’s planned colonisation of the South Island back in the early 1800s – that didn’t quite go according to plan, mainly because of us Brits (us v the Frenchies? Surely not! 😉). For history fans, there’s an interesting article here on Wiki. The town soon became a destination of choice for R&R even as early as the late 1830s for weary whalers, whilst for Victorians and Edwardians its warm climate, gentle harbour and rugged landscape gave it a strong ‘resort-of-choice’ identity. In 1891 it published its first Guide Book.

Meanwhile, for us, here today for the first time, I think you’ll agree that it all looks very French, especially with its French-sounding street names!

The truth is, that it’s all been an exercise in marketing! With tourism being a massive part of the DNA of this town, a decision was taken a while ago to re-‘Frenchify’ the town. With its street names and the various red, white and blue colour schemes. It all works very well, where apart from the New Zealand accents, you might think you were actually in France!

The Lighthouse

10.55am: Before arriving, we’d already read about the famous Akaroa Lighthouse. These days it’s looked after by the local Preservation Trust and it was good to see (between the showers) that it had been restored to a very high standard. Sadly, it wasn’t open today, but it looked good from the outside!

11.00am: It stopped raining! Here are my first shots out to sea.

The Memorial

As we continued our exploration of the main drag, we came across the town’s War Memorial. An impressive construction given the size of the Town.

The Memorial was unveiled in 1924 on the site of the old Akaroa Borough School and features names from across the Peninsular who gave their lives. This was a really impressive construction and the whole area was immaculately clean.

The Museum

11.29am: Established in 1964, the Akaroa Museum is focused on the history of Banks Peninsula. The small entrance betrayed the sheer quantity of exhibits inside where it took us around 40 minutes to get around.

Admission is free, and it’s open 363 days of the year.

12.05pm: The Museum also looks after the ‘Old Court House‘ (opened in 1880) next door – that was an interesting visit too, including a short film about the history of the Town.

TODAY’S TRIVIA: The logo of the Royal New Zealand Air Force is the Kiwi, a flightless bird.

Around the Town

12.25pm: Huzzah! The rain was gone and the Sun was beginning to shine. Here are some shots of the town’s buildings now looking much more attractive.

Across the Bay

12.30pm: Even the water was enticing.

Lunch

12.45pm: With the better weather now a permanent feature, we thought we’d grab some Lunch. We picked Aihe on Beach Road.

Apart from the extensive menu, it also had Guinness on draft! 👍😀. Not every Bar we’ve seen out here serves the ‘black stuff’, and it was good to finally find somewhere. Ann chose the Prawn Linguine whilst I chose the Chicken Burger. Their menus are HERE. Enjoy! 😋😋 – we did!

1.25pm: After Lunch, we found ourselves a seat and stared out across the water whilst enjoying a generous tub of ice-cream! 😋😋

2.15pm: We then took the short walk to our room for tonight…

Our Accommodation

2.25pm: Ooo la-la. This is lovely! We’re here for just one night in the French Bay House B&B. Even the address is French-sounding – ‘113 Rue Jolie’! That’s Parfait! 👍 I really do wish I’d packed my beret and striped top.

We were given a very warm welcome by the owners Wal and Rhonda. Two cups of Earl Grey later, we were both ready to unpack and take up the offer of free wine! 😉😉

It’s been another great day. There seems to be a pattern out here that the weather always improves by 2pm – and it’s always warmer than the forecast. Today was another of those days! On the downside, the twisty road into the town was a real challenge and is not for the faint of heart. But, as the Sun came out later, it was all worth it! 😎🌞☀️. Looking around this quaint little town with its ‘France-lite’ appearance made for a very special experience and it’s worth the detour – but best, probably, by helicopter! 🙄

Driving in New Zealand – The SH75 from Christchurch to Akaroa (79km)

Road Name: Mostly SH75
Condition: Smooth
Lanes: Single
Terrain: Mostly straight but VERY twisty on the approach to Akaroa
Scenery: Very green. Fewer mountains than previously
Filling Stations: 4
Roadworks: None
Driver Courtesy: Great
Speed Limits: Mostly 80kph
Police/Speed cameras: None/None
Total distance driven today: 79 kilometres/49 miles (but felt much longer!)
Total distance driven since we picked up the car: 1770 km/1099 miles

Tomorrow, we continue down the east coast of the South Island and drive to Ashburton (2 hours, 138km/86 miles) for a pitstop and then from Ashburton to our next stop – the port city of Timaru (1 hour, 76km 47 miles) and the Parklands Motor Lodge.

Catch you Thursday! 👍