What a wonderful few days we had on Banks Peninsular! Formed by two extinct volcanoes, the peninsular has two large harbours and lots of smaller bays and coves. Its main settlements are Lyttleton & Akaroa. Maori were the first to visit. James Cook was the first European to sight the peninsular, naming it after the ship’s botanist, Joseph Banks. In the 1830s, European whalers set up shore based stations and there are relics from this time dotted around the peninsula.

Lyttleton is a very busy port with some really interesting shops and cafes. It has a slightly hippy vibe – it’s really laid back! From here, you can take a ferry across to Diamond Harbour and have a walk up the hill to a small settlement. There is a wonderful old cottage that has been restored by volunteers which now operates as a museum and gallery.

Akaroa is a lovely settlement with a rather different feel to it. In 1840 Captain Langlois, a French sea captain, set sail for New Zealand on the ship Compte de Paris with French families aboard, intending to establish a French colony. However, by the time they arrived, the Treaty of Waitangi had been signed and they found themselves in a British colony!

The views as you drive down from the ridge in to the harbour are glorious. There are some really lovely old buildings, lighthouse, whaling history, a brilliant museum and the most quirky cinema! We discovered a great cafe – The Common https://thecommon.nz/ where we had fantastic flat whites and some very tasty treats. There is an art gallery next door which had some amazing art – very tempted! There are some interesting sculptures dotted around town, one of them is of Frank Worsley. Here are some details from the Antarctic Heritage Trust: In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton hired Worsley on the spot for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and made him captain of the expedition ship Endurance. The party were forced to abandon the ship after the Endurance was crushed by ice floes in the Weddell Sea. Worsley’s role in ensuring the survival of the men was crucial as he navigated their three lifeboats to Elephant Island.

Okains Bay. Not far from Akaroa, along a single lane road that winds along the ridge, you find Okains Bay, a small settlement with some interesting buildings and a traditional Kiwi camping ground that sits between the river/estuary and the beach. We even found a friend behind the church who was only too happy to help us get rid of our excess carrots!

We chose to drive along the summit road to get back to Christchurch and it is as you are driving along this that you really do get a sense that you are driving along the rim of a volcano and that for the past few days, have been sleeping IN a volcano – even if it is extinct!