Bringing in the New Year with the dolphins in Akaroa

Like Dunedin’s Otago Peninsula, Christchurch’s Banks Peninsula juts out into the Pacific from just southeast of the city. Since we were planning to be in Christchurch on January 1st, a national holiday, we figured it might be best to spend it enjoying landscapes and wildlife rather than running into lots of closed restaurants and shops in the city. The main town on the peninsula is Akaroa, one of the only French settlements ever started in New Zealand, so we headed there to start. After a beautiful drive to get there, we went on a harbor cruise to see NZ dolphins and then spent some time wandering around town. Akaroa is very into its French origins, and practically every shop had a French phrase in its name. Akaroa also seems to be the town that all Christchurch residents pick to rent holiday homes for the Christmas – New Year period, so there were lots of families about enjoying the summer day. It felt like true summer at a beach town. On the way back to Christchurch, we took the scenic summit route that winds around the top of the peninsula, giving great views over the bay. A really nice way to start the year!