Akaroa For The Day

Trip Start Feb 21, 2006
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Trip End Feb 21, 2007


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Sunday, May 14, 2006

Well I have just returned from a day in Akaroa, and I loved every minute, the weather was fantastic- not a cloud in the sky all day!! My landlady Gail was going there to play in a Bridge tournament all day so friends of her's gave us a lift there leaving at 8am. When i got to the visitor's centre (I had to wait 1/2 an hour before it opened)i bought some hand-drawn photocopied maps of the walks around the Akaroa hills that i thought looked worth while. I set off along the purple peak track and walked up a hill, which was very steep in places, for what seemed like ages to Stony Bay Peak, from the town it only took me about 2hours in total to get to the top and I was stopping to take tonnes of photos and catch my breath. What a fantastic view from the top (806m) of the harbour, banks penisula, the ocean and i could even see the Kikoura coast and a Range of snow-capped mountains way off in the distance.

I sat at the top for a good while admiring the view and having lunch - lucky I got there in such a short time because on the way down I saw 7 other people, I find it's much nicer when you have these places to your self
01 Akaroa Harbour
01 Akaroa Harbour
. Apart from those 7 and a group of 4 ladies I saw at the very beginning of the walk they were the only people I saw - not bad for a very sunny Saturday!!

After lunch I headed down a bit along the Purple Peak Track to the Hinewai Reserve and Beach Forest in the Otanerito Valley - situated on the eroded outer flank of the Akaroa Volcano, which apparantly stopped errupting some 8million yrs ago!! The surrounds were so different from the hills I had just been on and the views and waterfalls were great. Right in the middle there was also a information centre and some hidden away accommodation huts... would be a great place to spend the weekend!! Unfortunatley I only had about 2 hours in there exploring places like Big Totara, Fuchsia falls and Mikimiki Knob before heading on the circular track that took me through a heritage park, under thick Macrocarpa treesand winding back down to Akaroa in time for sunset.

Now I'm nursing my wouynds at home, because of my recent lack of excerise today's jaunt will make me suffer tomorrow and I bet I wont be able to walk properly for a few days - but I'd say it was worth it! Oh and the best news of all - I didnt get lost all day - whoo hoo :-)
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