This morning it was cloudy and there were even a few spots of rain as we left Hanmer Springs and drove through the mountains. We passed Thrillseekers Canyon and I had to restrain the LLW who, out of character, seemed very keen to investigate the thrills promised.
Once we had crossed the Amuri range of mountains and dropped down to the Canterbury Plain, the weather cleared and there was intermittent sunshine. There were a number of roadworks which slowed us down but we joined the main east coast road the SH1 after and hour or so. You may recall that this part of the SH1 was closed for a few years after the last serious earthquake which cut off Kaikora, a tourist resort on the east coast.
Shortly after joining the SH1 there was a long queue ahead of us and a police cars travelling on the opposite side of the road stopped at each vehicle and told the travellers that there had been a serious accident and a large lorry had overturned, thankfully the driver was OK and the road would be opened again very shortly. Sure enough we were on our way in about 15 mins and having seen the state of the lorry, the driver was very lucky indeed.
Next stop was for coffee at Amberley, NZ. After the coffees and inevitable cake, I could not resist having a quick look at Amberley school and I chatted to a lady associated with the school, who was originally from the UK and knew Amberley, West Sussex very well.
On then via the outskirts of Christchurch and a couple of mountain passes to the Banks Peninsula. If you look at the Banks Peninsula on a map it seems to be very close to Christchurch, whereas it is a 1 1/2 hour drive. The road to Little River on Lake Forsyth is quite straight and fairly fast but thereafter it is the exact opposite. The peninsula is a remarkable piece of geography and geology and is the crater of an extinct volcano. It's worth having a look at it on a map to see how amazing it is. Before we reached Akaroa, we stopped at Barry Bay cheese shop where they make and sell a variety of cheeses and of course we purchased some. The first time we came to NZ, Barry Bay cheeses were rare but now we have seen them in virtually every supermarket we have visited.
Upon arrival in Akaroa we headed for Four Square to purchase some necessities, had a wander around the beautiful town and bay and then drove up the steep hill to our camp site where we have a lovely pitch overlooking Akaroa Harbour.
After settling down to dinner we decided to book Fox II again because we enjoyed it so much on our last visit here. It's a lovely historical ketch and they do a 1/2 day trip along the harbour and out into the Pacific
Once we had crossed the Amuri range of mountains and dropped down to the Canterbury Plain, the weather cleared and there was intermittent sunshine. There were a number of roadworks which slowed us down but we joined the main east coast road the SH1 after and hour or so. You may recall that this part of the SH1 was closed for a few years after the last serious earthquake which cut off Kaikora, a tourist resort on the east coast.
Shortly after joining the SH1 there was a long queue ahead of us and a police cars travelling on the opposite side of the road stopped at each vehicle and told the travellers that there had been a serious accident and a large lorry had overturned, thankfully the driver was OK and the road would be opened again very shortly. Sure enough we were on our way in about 15 mins and having seen the state of the lorry, the driver was very lucky indeed.
Next stop was for coffee at Amberley, NZ. After the coffees and inevitable cake, I could not resist having a quick look at Amberley school and I chatted to a lady associated with the school, who was originally from the UK and knew Amberley, West Sussex very well.
On then via the outskirts of Christchurch and a couple of mountain passes to the Banks Peninsula. If you look at the Banks Peninsula on a map it seems to be very close to Christchurch, whereas it is a 1 1/2 hour drive. The road to Little River on Lake Forsyth is quite straight and fairly fast but thereafter it is the exact opposite. The peninsula is a remarkable piece of geography and geology and is the crater of an extinct volcano. It's worth having a look at it on a map to see how amazing it is. Before we reached Akaroa, we stopped at Barry Bay cheese shop where they make and sell a variety of cheeses and of course we purchased some. The first time we came to NZ, Barry Bay cheeses were rare but now we have seen them in virtually every supermarket we have visited.
Upon arrival in Akaroa we headed for Four Square to purchase some necessities, had a wander around the beautiful town and bay and then drove up the steep hill to our camp site where we have a lovely pitch overlooking Akaroa Harbour.
After settling down to dinner we decided to book Fox II again because we enjoyed it so much on our last visit here. It's a lovely historical ketch and they do a 1/2 day trip along the harbour and out into the Pacific
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