A trip to the cute little town of Akaroa is a must for anyone staying in Christchurch. Chantal and I hopped in her car and spent a day driving through the hills of Canterbury to the Banks Peninsula.
Akaroa is unique in that it is the only French settlement in New Zealand. The scenery was stunning as we drove through beautiful rolling hills, past hundreds of sheep herds and visited a few foody shops including a local cheese factory which produces an incredible aged cheddar.
Many people visit Akaroa to swim with the local wild dolphin population at nearby Flea Bay. I couldn’t believe the group of Japanese tourists who were hopping out of their boat soaking wet…that water must have been freezing! Chantal and I walked along the towns dock where I witnessed a bunch of Canadian Geese (which made me oddly patriotic and nostalgic for home). After window shopping through woolen stores, fudge and sweet shops and a famous fish and chips shop we found a cute little cafe where we enjoyed soup and corn fritters.
Akaroa is a beautiful little tourist day trip only 4o minutes from downtown Christchurch. A Must!
Cherry tomatoes in corn fritters looks excellent. Also, nice to see Jesus made an appearance for the Maori children in NZ back in the day. I don’t remember that story in the bible..?