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Top 10 Holiday Park, Akaroa, South Island, New Zealand 4654km

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Happy New Year!

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed so fast, and that we have been on the road for most of it. Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

The last few days have been blessed with dry weather and we even enjoyed some nice warm days with short sleeves (even Paola). We left Hanmer Springs on Saturday morning and drove through the hills to Kaikura, a peninsula famous for the whales nearby. As soon as we hit the shoreline we parked the RV and I ran out with Ron and the binoculars to see if we could spot anything. The chances for a shore encounter are slim, but unfortunately our kids are too young to go on the whale watching boat expeditions. Ron was brokenhearted that he wouldn’t be able to see a whale.

But the view from the beach was great. After we lunched there, we continued to a few more scenic lookouts and a as it was low tide to a great rockpool area where the kids went exploring for seaweed, shells, barnacles and the occasional seal. The playground at the Top 10 proved adequate for Ron to forget his whale misfortune, even though the jumping pillow was not fully inflated.

On Sunday morning we left Kaikoura, driving straight to Christchurch along Highway 1. The first part of the drive was very pretty, along the coast. Every spot that was available for parking a tent near the water was taken. Not that the beaches were golden and sandy. But I guess that’s the best they can get in this area of the South Island.

We reached Christchurch around noon and after finding a parking spot very close to the city center we began our own private walking tour. First stop was a nice restaurant for lunch. Food was tasty although I later suffered (probably from the seared tuna). We then wandered around the busy Sunday streets. It was warm and sunny and great to be out. We stumbled upon the Canterbury Museum and went straight to the kids’ Discovery section, where we spent a sizeable chunk of time. By the time we got out, the sun had disappeared and rain looked imminent. We strolled through the botanic gardens for a bit and then headed to the local Pak ‘n Save (supermarket) for supplies.

We ended the day in a nice little campground 4km from the town center. We checked the highly recommended Top 10 but it was twice as expensive as well as very big and crowded. We have found that we prefer the smaller campgrounds most of the time. They are more intimate and we are closer to all the amenities and less anxious about the kids.

Yesterday morning we left Christchurch and drove 2 hours to get to Akaroa, the main town here in Banks Peninsula. This Peninsula has an interesting history, it was once a huge volcano. Akaroa lies at a harbor that was part of the crater. More recently, the French settled this area in 1840 just before the British took over, and the result is a town with a slightly French atmosphere (street names like Rue Jolie).

As soon as we saw the bay from the hilltop road we fell in love. The warm sunny weather probably contributed to the general good feeling. We parked ourselves near a large grass area where the kids discovered a giant adventure jumping castle. While Ron was able to climb and slide on his own, I had to schlep Orr and Shir through most of the castle. They shrieked with joy.

We checked in to a beautiful campground in the hill overlooking the bay and the township. Unfortunately our specific site did not have a great view because a huge trailer was in the way. While the kids went wild in the playground, I prepared a New Year feast and we had a fine meal. Ron later commented that when he grows up hew wants to be a chef and open a special restaurant for kids with surprises and fun things for children.

Today we awoke to another lovely day and headed back into town. We got on a 2 hour harbor cruise that sped off to see Hector Dolphins, a very small and rare breed found only here. Additional animals sighted were shags and other birds, as well as some more seals. After the cruise we had a long lunch in a nice restaurant which has a great solution for parents. In the inner courtyard they have a playpen for the kids. Instead of struggling to keep the children from harm’s way at the table, they play until the food is served. Genius. We walked lazily about town for a few more hours while the girls napped in their stroller.

When we got back to the campground in the afternoon we got a better site, this one with an incredible view of the bay. We sat and enjoyed the picturesque tranquility of a beautiful afternoon.

Tomorrow it’s back to Christchurch. Good night,

-Hemi

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 5:10 am and is filed under Big Trip, New Zealand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.