Akaroa and Christchurch
It was great to head across to Akaroa. The weather was perfect and virtually nobody was on the winding road around the bays. I have always intended to stop at the little hamlets en route to Robinson's Bay, and at last I managed it and was certainly not disappointed. Duvauchelles, named after a French captain, is home to some beautifully colourful boatsheds and awesome scenery. As the sun went down, the warm final rays lit up the hills of Banks Peninsula. Apart from this flock of cormorants I was totally alone in this breathtakingly beautiful bay. Akaroa is no longer a seething mass of cruise ship visitors. It is once again the quiet, yet popular little village for Christchurch families to visit, to enjoy its peace and tranquillity. Even the local birdlife seemed happy to have the place more or less to themselves. What a fabulous final picnic with Liz and Brian at Wainui, near Akaroa Heads. It is decades since I last visited this area, but I will certainly be back soon. Here we ar...