Laura's Side Trip to Akaroa

We were pooped from a full month on the road. But the siren-song of New Zealand called for me to see still more.

So on our last full day in Christchurch, I couldn't help but squeeze in one more side trip. I left Dan slaving away in the kitchen (he had offered to make a mole sauce for our hosts Richard and Colleen), and set out for the charming town of Akaroa.

The drive took me onto Banks Peninsula, an area settled by the Maori nearly 1000 years ago, and settled again by the French in the 1840s.

Today Akaroa is a weekend retreat for Christchurchers, and a quiet destination for low-key tourists. It has an active artist community, quaint shops, and is the jumping-off point for harbor tours to see little blue penguins and rare Hector's dolphins.

I shopped for souvenirs and ambled along the main street with the other tourists, mostly older Europeans, just taking in the good salt air and feeling truly relaxed for the first time in a week.

On the way home I stopped off to sample some delicious artisanal cheese at Barry's Bay cheese factory. And with fresh local gouda in hand, I headed back to Christchurch to celebrate our last evening in New Zealand.