Akaroa

On our last day in New Zealand, we had some time to kill. It was about a 2 hour drive back to Christchurch, so we decided to drive almost all the way there and then go east out to the Banks Peninsula.

Banks Peninsula is an almost round peninsula that juts out to the south of Christchurch. It was formed by volcanoes, so the geography on the peninsula is steep hills with tiny roads that wind down into inlets on the peninsula. More hairpin turns and curvy road driving for us!

There aren't many towns or attractions on the Banks Peninsula. But there is Akaroa, which is a really cute little town with an interesting history. A French captain "purchased" the peninsula from the Maori people who lived there. During the two years it took to bring over French settlers to what is now Akaroa, the English also claimed the land for Britain and established a settlement. So when the French settlers arrived, they found their claimed land had started to be settled by the British. They stayed though, and the town of Akaroa has a heavy French influence. The street signs say "Rue," French flags fly, and at the local museum we learned that the schools teach French. 

Akaroa also has a very idyllic shoreline. The tide was out while we were there, but it was still really lovely and peaceful. 

We spent the afternoon in Akaroa, just eating some lunch... 

Relaxing...

Finding an ice cream cone...

And just walking around the town.

The town war memorial

The town bowling club

Lazy strolling through the cute little town was the perfect way to end our South Island adventure!