Akaroa. A small "french settlement" on the Banks Peninsula of the South Island. Having been planted on extinct volcano remnants, the town streets undulate with the waves of the hilly land. A bay named after the town is almost always in sight and is more spectacular the higher one climbs up the streets or hills. Fog and mist almost always envelops the lanscape and if not, one can expect it to arrive soon.
My trip to Akaroa on the weekend of March 1st and 2nd was spectacular for many reasons. One, it was entirely planned by another CSU student who is apparantly more organized than myself. Two, it was cheap; $30 roundtrip bus fare, $17 night stay at a farm hostel and less than $25 for food. Three, it's New Zealand!
A whole pack of us (around 12) arrived at the info centre in Akaroa a little after noon. Some of us went for a hike, myself included. The sky drizzled the whole time and even though I prepared myself, I still got soaked. It was completely worth it to see the amazing views of the harbor and to be outside. I definitely got my workout, the trails were very steep and a single wrong step would have sent me tumbling back down the trail or off in the bush. We found wild blackberries and plums on the way down-a nice treat for all our hard work. Once back in Akaroa, we headed off to the pub to warm up. I enjoyed myself chatting with the locals and with the tramping group. I had a wonderful seafood chowder and a basket of chips for dinner. I also had my first shot of whiskey (soco) and quite enjoyed that as well! Before dark, we booked it to Onuku Farm Hostel to rest our bodies. I shared a stargazer hut with Kelly (the planner). No stars were visible when we went to sleep but I woke up a few times in the night and caught a glimpse of them in the early morning.
The next morning, as I made my way to the outdoor sink to brush my teeth, I noticed a peacock and peahen walking beside me up the path! I didn't know they were in NZ! I spent the rest of the day with Rebecca and Brittany from California. We traveled to the beach (very rocky and cold)and bummed around town. Our bus picked us up at 4:30 and that was the end of our trip to Akaroa. Brief, but beautiful!
