Banks Peninsula, hazy Akaroa and the Port Hills - 27/10/2007

On Matt from New Zealand's recommendation, I went to Akaroa to swim with the dolphins, or at least see them, but sadly the weather and the off-season conspired to keep the dolphins and me separate. It rained and hailed on my journey there, which perhaps should have been a clue. I wandered around town like a tourist and looked longingly at the signs for sea kayak and mountain bike hire. Next time. Better weather, more time, completely healed back, etc. I didn't expect to be able to "do" New Zealand in just a weekend, so in essence, my trip was a taster trip, a scouting mission for a longer holiday.

After Akaroa, I took the scenic way back and got to flirt with the joys of steep precipices and erosion-prone roads. I misread the map and thought that the Akaroa road was the one that looped around the Banks Peninsula and back toward Christchurch. It wasn't. As if eroding paved roads weren't enough fun, I found myself on eroding gravel roads with Kiwi pheasants outrunning my misnamed Suzuki Swift on the uphill. By that point, I knew I was headed in the wrong direction. I was just hoping for a large enough spot to turn around, so as not to be admiring the harbour too closely with my turn.

I need to take a moment to share all of the joys of the Swift. I was happy for the fuel economy. I was happy for the means of transportation. I was happy for the lack of expense. I needed some adjusting to the controls. The Swift is almost a complete mirror of a North American vehicle. The pedals are the same, thankfully, but all of the switches, buttons, dials and blinky things were reversed. Every time I meant to turn or change lanes, I wiped my windscreen. Every time I meant to wipe the windscreen, I flashed my lights at someone. I don't remember which EKC friend had mentioned this before, it could have been Matt from NZ, but remembering that conversation gave me the giggles every time I did either of those things wrong. On that rainy, haily day, it happened a lot.

Finding my way back to paved Akaroa, I followed the scenic route back to Christchurch, which was the loop road that I had misread earlier. The road twisted around the mountains of peninsula, offering fleeting glances toward the harbours and occasionally the Pacific. The water was always an exceptional aquamarine, even when the sky was anything but.

Twisting and winding gave way to the flats at Little River and back to the mainland. I opted for the tunnel from Lyttleton, but perhaps should have taken the mountain pass. By the time I reached Lyttleton, the clouds had parted to bright blue sky. On the other side of the tunnel, I decided to stop at the gondola and enjoy the views from Christchurch's Port Hills. Once I reached the top in the gondola, I realised that I could have walked up the Bridle Path, though the views from the gondola were a tiny bit nicer. From the top of the gondola, several trail options were available. I explored each of them and enjoyed the wind and the panoramas. Finally, I followed the Bridle Path back to the car park at the bottom.

I headed back to the hotel plenty tired and looking forward to the next day's adventures.