Akaroa

We had 6 days before picking up our camper van in New Zealand, but after about 2 days we'd seen most of Chrostchurch. So we headed to the Banks Peninsula for a couple of nights. It's a rugged tract about an hour outside Christchurch, and home to the only French settlement in New Zealand. In fact, the South Island may be French today had the settlers arrived just a few days earlier. The French had purchased the land from the locals, but a Britih gunboat beat the French settlers by two days. And that was that.

Today Akaroa is a little touristy but just a nice place to hang out. We got in a great day of kayaking and this morning climbed to the peninsula's high point, which is only about 3 miles each way from town, but 2500 vertical feet - basically straight up.  We made it in about 4 hours, in time to catch our bus back to Christchurch for dinner and beers at the Smash Palace, a pop-up bar a few blocks from our hostel. Not a bad day. 

We pick up our camper van tomorrow and begin an 8-week hiking road trip. First stop: Mt. Cook. Stay tuned...