Akaroa to Christchurch

Cosy cafe, with good coffee and amazing carrot cake

Akaroa was not at its sunny best as we waited around for our bus to Christchurch.  Still wearing rain gear, and in need of cheer, we headed off for a coffee and a sweet treat.

Michelle, Alicia, and Margaret

At the bus shelter we happened upon  Michelle, Alicia and Margaret, whom we had last seen at the Akaroa lookout.  They were picking up supplies, and staying at a B and B in town for the night.   They noted that I did not look like a Kiwi tramper because "no respectable Kiwi would wear rain pants!"  Bare legs and shorts was the way to go, regardless of the weather.  But Michelle and Alicia looked really cold.  Margaret had already succumbed to the lure of long pants--she was not suffering for the sake of image. I intended to wear my rain pants all the way to Christchurch.

When the tiny bus finally arrived, we discovered that it was packed with friendly folk and one dog that snuggled up to my animal-averse husband.  The dog's owners had been in Akaroa to oversee the replacement of their chimney and fireplace, destroyed in the February 2011 earthquake.  We learned that their son, a student at Canterbury U, was living in a flat that was condemned ("red-stickered"), and that the bus driver had moved to his batch (holiday home) in Akaroa because his Christchurch home had been totalled.

One of many Christchurch parks

  Every scrap of portable fence must be in Christchurch

An hour later we were gazing at the reality that is now Christchurch.  There was road construction everywhere because so many streets had buckled and twisted during the quake and the aftershocks.  Familiar landmarks had disappeared, and streets had been closed throughout the downtown so that a simple drive to the airport was an obstacle course that took much longer than expected, but finally we made it back into midtown and our friends' house on College Avenue.  It looked to be in good shape, but we knew it to have interior damage. Things aren't always what they seem in Christchurch.

The Haig house.

Banks Peninsula: Lotsa Loos

Outside toilets at our various Banks Peninsula lodges and along the track show a high degree of creativity!

No boring Porta-Potties here -- just a wealth of WC whimsy.

My favourite, the Stony Bay loo -- so romantic!

  This loo with a view overlooks the seal cove

A trailside toilet with atmosphere.

The outdoor toilet seems to bring out the best in Kiwi ingenuity. After the horrendous earthquake that devastated Christchurch in February 2011, much of the city was without plumbing.  Some families resorted to the creation of backyard biffies that were interesting enough to be featured on a website dedicated to designer dunnies.  Toilet humour at its best.

Banks Peninsula: Otanerito and Beyond

Otanerito Cottage is very picturesque, situated in the middle of an impressive flower garden full of hydrangeas, dahlias, anemone and even roses. 

The entrance to Otanerito Cottage (with toi toi grasses) 

A truly splendid cabbage tree shades the house

There is a beach which is warm enough for swimming, and many of our fellow hikers had come prepared with swimming togs.  We were togless, but happy to sit on the veranda, read our books,  have cups of tea, and chat to whoever happened along.

Three oystercatchers on the beach

In the next-door paddock, we could see sheep being mustered by a rather impatient farmer. There were dogs barking, dogs herding, sheep bleating anxiously, and above all the booming voice of the guy in charge:  GET OVER HERE! GET OVER HERE!  We stood at the fence to see what was happening, but didn't dare risk coming any closer.  Whatever would he yell at nosey trampers?  There was great speculation, however, about what was going to happen to those poor sheep!

After dinner we discovered that our cottage was managed by Fiona Farrell, a New Zealand author who lives nearby.  She was not on the premises, but there was a fine selection of her books for our use.

Next day we headed from Otanerito past the sheep paddock and briefly watched as, one by one, the shorn lambs were released into the nearby field.  So that was it. Good.  These sheep were not going to be chops and roasts any time soon.

We are sure the water is pure, but what about the mug?

We took the track up to the Hinewae Reserve, a privately managed nature reserve for the conservation of native plants and animals.  The 10 km track passes by waterfalls, goes through a beech forest, and eventually reaches a summit (Purple Peak) at 600 metres.  We did this stretch of the walk in the rain, so the waterfalls and little streams were pretty, but the view at the top was non-existen

Then, it was downhill through bush, and eventually along a road that lead into Akaroa where we would catch the bus to Christchurch.

Our fabulous walk was complete.

Imagine this view on a sunny day.

Banks Peninsula: Stony Bay to Otanerito

The Otanerito cottage was our last overnight lodge, only 6 km from Stony Bay and reached by a track that offers waterfalls, reefs, sparkling water, cliffs, and historic sites in addition to the usual exotic (to us) foliage. 

Another sunny day!  We don't take these for granted.....

Sleepy Bay is where the Ngai Tahu overran the Ngati Mamoe in the 17 century. Nothing remains of the Ngati Mamoe settlement today, but one can appreciate that it was strategically situated on a promontory overlooking the water.

 At the end of the bay there is a "sea stack",  a remnant of a sea arch that collapsed in the 2010 earthquakes.

Another sea stack, Pompey's Pillar is a landmark for sailors and just off shore from our destination.

Otanerito cottage is situated near a sheep farm, so we received a fleecy welcome as we came into the valley.  

The sea stack that was once an arch.

Sheep stayed....

Otanerito Bay Cottage. 

Banks Peninsula: Stony Bay/ Fantasyland

We never did count all the different buildings that comprised the Stony Bay stop on the Banks Peninsula track.  In the main house with its wide verandah, there was a kitchen, lounge (with fireplace) and bunk rooms, but there were also an assortment of other buildings:  cabins for 2 with cooking facilities, separate outdoor toilets, two outdoor baths, an outdoor shower built right against a tree, a small shop where mealtime necessaries could be purchased, and even a museum.

The main house at Stony Bay.  The shop is in the trees, on the left.

Outdoor shower and wash house.

Jackie and Paul in the cosy lounge of the main house.

Inside the shower, the tree is gorwing!

 I am sure that the architect of this little domain was the same creative person who built the shelter and toilet back down the track.  Corrogated iron, reclaimed lumber, salvaged windows, bricks and stones all had their place in this eccentric collection of buildings.

Our tiny kitchen

We stayed in Pear Cottage -- fruit is on the roof.

The effect was completely charming.  Set in a garden of fruit trees, ponga ferns, large cabbage trees, and big hydrangea bushes, this sprawl of little houses and out buildings was old-fashioned and cosy. 

There actually were very few amenites, however.  No hot water in the cabins, and only candles for illumination in all the buildings.  The flush toilets were in the middle of the garden.

But somehow, with the sun shining warmly on this little, hidden community, it seemed almost magical, a fantasy world waiting to be explored.   I felt as if I had stepped into a fairy tale.

Rosie's little hobbit house..... 

A fairy tale mushroom that screams "don't eat me!"

Banks Peninsula: Flea Bay to Stony Bay

Lucky us.  Glorious weather guaranteed great views as we set out from Flea Bay.  This is not a long walk  -- only 8 km-- and it can be covered in 2-4 hours, but there is plenty to look at along the way.  We had no need to rush.


Beyond the mouth of Flea Bay we climbed up to the bluff skirting the bay and looked across to cliffs, sea birds, sparkling water and blue sky.  There are warnings about not going to close to the edge especially in windy or wet conditions. We had perfect weather -- had we felt like taking chances. 

Setting out, and heading up the hill.....

Eventually, the path leads down to a shelter and to a little bay where sharp-eyed hikers might actually observe seals, and not just hear them as we did.  (It is hard to make out a shiny black seal in a cove of shiny black boulders.)

The nearby shelter was worth exploring.  It is built of recycled lumber and glass, and positioned against a huge rock; an equally whimsical outhouse is perched around the corner.  Someone clearly had a lot of fun designing these buildings.

What a lovely spot!

Looking back at the shelter and loo ( upper left).

Heading down to the Seal Cave and shelter

Cabbage trees with glimpses of gum trees in bloom. 

Further along the cliff, we could have seen muttonbirds, but didn't.  The outlook near their nesting spot was spectacular nevertheless. As we climbed down towards Stony Bay we noted that grasses gave way to bush -- lots of scrubby manuka, cabbage trees, ponga  ferns, and even the occasional red-blooming gum tree.

The main bulding at Stony Bay is just one of many marvellous creations..

In brilliant sunshine, we arrived at the most eccentric of overnight spots, Stony Bay.  I felt as if we had stepped onto a movie set:  Arkansas in Akaroa.

.. 

Banks Peninsula: Flea Bay Cottage

Unlike the Onuku Farm hut, Flea Bay cottage is a genuine colonial farm house that has been adapted to accommodate a group of twelve.  Besides us, there were two couples from Thames (Jackie and Paul, and Cara and John), friends from Whangarei (Lois and Rosie),  American sisters now living in New Zealand (Michelle from Wellington and Alicia from Auckland), and their friend Margaret, who divides her time between Seattle and Gore (South Island).  We were fortunate to be with such an interesting group!

Flea Bay cottage.

Some of the delights of Flea Bay were unavailable.  The promised yellow-eyed penguins only come ashore to breed in the spring.  It was too stormy go sea kayaking--if we had wanted to do that.  But we didn't miss these diversions: the rain had stopped, the sun was shining, the beach was walkable. And now that we were at Flea Bay, our next day's excursion would take us along an upland track overlooking the ocean.  Great scenery beckoned.

Bruce on the beach.  There are no fleas -- they live on the penguins who were at sea.

Compared to our first night's accommodation, we all found the cottage with its cosy kitchen and lounge (aka living room), very comfortable and homey. There was even the original wood-burning fireplace and a piano that probably hadn't been tuned since 1940. 

Rosie's choice of the  Love Theme from Doctor Zhivago  was perfect for this twangy piano!

Paul looked through the hole, but he rejected the bread.

Other creatures were also at home at Flea Bay.  Alicia made this discovery at breakfast when she opened her carefully wrapped bagel-with-cream cheese to find that something/someone else had been sampling it.  Like the real Kiwi she has become, Alicia gamely ate the bagel after cutting off the ragged bit.  The Flea Bay mouse and its friends also helped themselves to the heel (Kiwis say "crust") of our loaf of bread, but we didn't realize this until our final morning when I was preparing our lunch sandwiches.  One crust remained in the bag so I offered it to anyone who wanted to make toast, pulled out the bread, and stared at it.  There were no takers.

We did eat the sandwiches.

We were moused!