Akaroa

Akaroa,

The peaceful harbour at Akaroa is one of the best examples in the world of an eroded volcanic crater but who knows what powerful forces still lie beneath the surface of these aqua waters?

We arrived at The Mulberry House another turn of the century dwelling where our hosts were Jack and Anne, both former school teachers.  Our room, The Walnut Room was charming, furnished and decorated in keeping with the period.

Jack made us his special breakfasts including his famous Muesli with fresh fruit and yoghurt, followed by eggs and bacon, pancakes or French Toast.

The Mulberry House was a perfect base to enjoy this supeb location.  Akaroa was originally settled by the French and still has some wonderful old buildings from that time.  Akaroa was not spared by the earthquake but the damage suffered here was minimal in comparison to Christchurch and was incurred by the September 2010 incident not that in 2011. 

Akaroa from the hill above

Akaroa Lighthouse 

Akaroa - First Maori Church

Akaroa Harbour

Pied Shag with Sea Horse

Akaroa Harbour/Nature Cruise

Fur Seal at slumber

Akaroa architecture

Akaroa architecture

Akaroa Memorial damaged in the September 2010 earthquake

Charles Merryon artist 1821 - 1868

Torch Lily - Akaroa

Sea Cave - Akaroa

Elephant Rock - Akaroa

Akaroa

Akaroa Harbour

Akaroa Bay

Mulberry House Akaroa

View - leaving Akaroa

Near Governer's Bay

It was so nice to park the car and do our sightseeing on foot.  We did a lot of walking around the town and the seafront and took a wonderful harbour cruise where we saw Hector’s Dolphins, the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world and also the most endangered, the Little White Flippered Penguin, a subspecies of the Little Blue Penguin, more Fur Seals and numerous seabirds.  We watched a Pied Shag (Cormorant), wrestling with a sizeable Sea Horse.  The Sea Horse was not giving up without a valiant fight and kept wrapping its body around the beak of the Shag.  Unfortunately, due to time constraints as they say on the TV, we did not see the outcome of the battle.

When we arrived in Akaroa the town was packed with tourists from the Celebrity Solstice that was tendered in the harbour.  After they left, the town went back to its normal peace and quiet.  The cruise ships normally dock in Lyttleton Harbour, Christchurch, but due to the earthquake devastation many of them are now tendering in Akaroa Harbour.

After three days in this picturesque place of clear aqua waters, where we had enjoyed beautiful scenery, great company and wonderful food we had to bid our farewells and make our way back to Christchurch and an early flight the next morning to Hobart, Tasmania.  See you there………………..