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| Click here to view the Akoroa Album |
Saturday we drove about an hour south of Christchurch to Akaroa. We desperately needed to see some the landscape that New Zealand is known for and to just get away from the city. Akaroa is a city that was built inside the rim of a volcano, which is spectacular in terms of views because you have to drive the winding roads up to the rim and then begin your descent into the lush and scantly populated town. The street names are French and there are some landmarks that allude to the early French settlers, but the town is decidedly Kiwi.
We were there for just a few hours, but you’ll see from the pictures that we were able to do some hiking. I’m thinking that next time we’ll have to do a whale watching or dolphin swimming tour. We’ve heard from others that these ventures are not just tourist ploys and that you can take a dip with hundreds or even thousands of dolphins at a time.
Also, I shot a couple of short videos that are in this album, not so much for the scenery as the sound of the birds in the trees. Although the bird populations here have suffered from colonization and the introduction of foreign species, I found the birds here to be quite lively as they sing through varying pitches.
On another note, I innocently asked a Kiwi whether or not Kiwi eggs were edible. After a few moments of flustered guffawing, I received an answer, “Well, no, that would be like eating the eggs of an American Eagle!” I’m certain this is just one of many faux pas that I’ll commit here.
Today I’m trying to take a break from Kiwi culture and I’m curling up on the couch at the motel with a paperback. Perhaps later this week I will venture out for a day walk. I’ve heard that I can catch a ferry from the Lyttleton harbor and disappear for an entire day on a small island, but I’ll have to research that a bit more.
