We spent the weekend while I waited to see the specialist in Christchurch exploring the Banks Peninsula just south of the city.
The peninsula is a misshapen doughnut with an almost complete ring of craggy peaks (the highest about 800 metres) around the outside and Akaroa harbour in the middle. It's a bit like Cornwall but on a more dramatic scale; there are winding, narrow roads, we went steeply down into small bays, and then the van laboured out again up the next hill.
It's a popular holiday area and a paradise for all who love messing around in boats. It has an old-fashioned air, and the Maori influence is apparent; they settled here first and then intermarried with the whalers who arrived in the 19th. century.
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| Grass skirts |
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| War canoe |
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| Sand castle caravan |
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| Herons displaying |
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| Kingfisher |
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| Okains Bay |
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| Akaloa Bay |
What a wonderful adventure you are both having in NZ. I loved the picture of the caravan made of sand but not sure it would stand up to the terrible weather we have been having here in Cornwall over the last month or so.
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