Akaroa - Banks peninsula

We decided to make our first trip to the nearby Akaroa peninsula and stopping in the small harbour town Lyttleton on the way to there. After a week of planning and getting ready we were just glad and excited to be on the road.
We could've saved us the stop in Lyttleton as there was literally nothing to do except watching freight ships. But the way to Akaroa was much more rewarding afterwards even though we went the wrong route twice. First we ended up at a steep gravel road with the sign "4WD only", so we needed to turn around and drive back to the main road. In conclusion it's better not to stick too close to the navigation system ;)
Shortly before arriving in Akaroa we stopped at the Onawe Track for a short hike over a lime stone cliff to a small peninsula. After driving the narrow roads it was a nice change and the views were magnificent.

In the evening we explored a bit the small town, it's a former French settlement and tries to keep that heritage by having French signs and food. Thanks to our self-contained camper van we can stay for free close to the city center. In the evening we went down to the harbour and watched the sunset.

The other day we started early to climb a nearby park with views over the whole bay but it was just a short loop. The free museum was very interesting and told a lot of stories about the Maori, the first settlers and their daily lives. After considering the options we decided to head further South, which meant in this case, driving back to Christchurch and from there down.Read more