Akaroa: the Frenchiest town in New Zealand

After our hike (post coming soon!), we flew back to Christchurch to pick up a rental car. The flight from Queenstown was really short, but it has to be one of the most beautiful airports in the world.  

We also said goodbye to Scotty here =(

After picking up our car, we headed straight out to Akaroa for a couple days of post-hike relaxing. Akaroa is on the Banks Peninsula, which is about an hour and a half drive east of Christchurch. It's called Banks Peninsula after Captain Cook's botanist, Joseph Banks (even though those guys didn't land there). It's a pretty interesting area geographically: whereas Christchurch is pretty flat, the Peninsula has drastic hills. It was formed by volcanic activity, which is exactly how it looks on a map.

The other interesting thing about Akaroa is that it was primarily settled by the French. Back in the day, a French whaler decided he wanted to settle the peninsula and establish it as a French colony. So he headed back to France, loaded up a boat with brave Frenchmen and women, and headed back. But right before they arrived, the English claimed New Zealand for Britain. The French decided to stay in Akaroa as they'd planned, and to this day, it's heavily influenced by the French settlers.

French flags flying outside the French bakery with a Frenchman inside

There's not too much going on in little Akaroa. It's a tiny town, but there was enough for us to stay content for a couple days! The town is right along one of the bays of the peninsula, so there's some fishing and boating. Most of the industry of the town seems to be centered around tourism, but it's still a very small village and definitely not over-crowded with visitors.

A portable piano - we sat and listened to the pianist for a while

We didn't have any set plans for our stay: just relaxing and resting after our hike. After a mix-up with our initial accommodation, we ended up getting a BnB right in town, which was perfect because we could walk everywhere. The gardens were a perfect way to enjoy some sunshine!

 

Our days in Akaroa were spent walking through the shops in the village, hanging out at the house, and finding cute little places to eat.      

A good place for lunch!

Walking around Akaroa

Checking out the cute houses

 

Looking up plants in the plant app =)

Always on the lookout for a dog that needs a pat!

One of our activities was a windy, curvy, narrow drive out to Okains Bay - one of the smallest and curviest I've ever driven on. There's not much in Okains Bay - a few little houses, a tiny school, and a campground. There is also a big Maori museum, which was what took us there in the first place. The museum was really interesting, and we learned a lot about the original settlers of the island.

But our real find in Okains Bay was the bay itself. It was a gorgeous beach, and we had it completely to ourselves. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful spot didn't have anyone else there enjoying it!

Our time in Akaroa was very relaxing. If there was a downside to our time there, it was that the village was maybe a little too small and laid back. Finding places that were actually open during their posted hours turned into quite a challenge. From dinner at a restaurant, to visiting a winery, to seeing a lavender farm, to renting kayaks, it sometimes felt like a constant challenge to contribute to the town's economy! For example, Aunt Kaye, Holly, and I went to the kayak rental shop on a sunny afternoon. The man serving the counter told Holly that his boss had "a lot of meetings" that day, and that kayaking "wasn't going to happen." On another occasion on our way out of town, we stopped at a little art & garden shop that was going to open at 10. By 10:10 no one had arrived. We'd experienced enough during our days in Akaroa to know that there was a good chance no one would arrive all day. We went on our way! 

This sign pretty much sums up the speed of life on the peninsula: 

Always best to write your hours in chalk so you can head home early if you want!

Even though we weren't able to do some of the things we wanted to do in Akaroa, it was still charming. And in some ways, that casual approach to running a business added to its charm. Plus, it gave us plenty of time to appreciate things that are always around!