Parlez-Vous Francais? Akaroa & Christchurch (May 25 to May 31)

On the Move Again...Timaru to Ch-ch

Andy also recommended the Ch-ch Arts Centre as 'the place' to shop for NZ-made items. We made it our first destination after humping our bags to Chester Street Backpackers when we arrived in Ch-ch Monday May 25. The range and quality of goods was impressive! Clothing, jewellry, art, woodwork...all crafted by Kiwis from NZ materials. We made some mental notes for a return buying trip later in the week.

As we're apt to do, we explored the local area around the backpackers the next day, Tuesday May 26. I knew that we picked the right neighborhood to stay in when I saw Pomeroy's Old Brewery Pub in the next block! The owners, Steve and Victoria Pomeroy, are very close friends of my team-mate, Duane 'Draino' Stephenson, and they had hosted our team during the tour. Norma's intuition told her that we'd be coming back for a pint and a visit!

We wandered through the neighborhood and then into the centre of Ch-ch. It's a beautiful city. It has a very English appearance with its churches, parks and even its own Avon River winding through its core. Its settlement in 1850 was an ordered Church of England enterprise meant to be a model of class-structured England down-under rather than another rough colonial outpost. It was a noble plan but thankfully pubs, bars and restaurants made their way into the mix over time!

Punting on the Avon

Checkmate in Cathedral Square

The Bridge of Remembrance

Firefighters' Memorial - Girders from WTC 9/11

The Holy Grail - The World's Ultimate Sports Bar!

During our walk, we chanced upon a very poignant exhibition about Passchendale. Passchendale was the final resting place for so many ANZAC soldiers, as it was for our Canadian lads. The sheer loss of life is staggering to comprehend. NZ took it hard on the chin; its casualty rate was enormous for its small population. The Muldrew family is connected with that famous WW1 battleground; my great-uncle (Cousin Mary's father) was seriously wounded there. He was shot through both thighs and fell where he was hit. He lay alone in a shellhole, unable to pull himself back to his lines, and death seemed emminent. To his good fortune, an army chaplain found him hours later and carried him to safety. A story has it that he met his long-lost brother, my grandfather, in the bed next to his in the hospital back in England...we'll have to look into that when we get home.

Norma and I met up with another cousin, Paula, daughter of Hugh and Trixie, and went over to Pomeroy's for the evening. Steve was very happy to see us and treated us royally. Andrea and I found that we have a lot in common with our careers; she is a corrections psych nurse and team leader. We learned that there isn't much difference between our clients and prison life in either hemisphere.

Onto Akaroa...we caught the shuttle early Wednesday morning (May 27) and headed across the Canterbury plains enveloped in pea-soup fog. The fog cleared as we climbed the pass over the hills of the Banks Peninsula to reveal beautiful harbours, bays and countryside. We learned from our driver that the peninsula and its hills were created by two massive volcanic eruptions. The vistas were spectacular!

View from Crest of Banks Peninsula

Akaroa Harbour

History lesson...whaling captain Jean Langois negotiated the purchase of the peninsula from the Maori in 1838. He returned to France, collected 63 settlers and headed back to the peninsula to start a French colony in 1840. Meanwhile, the British had heard about this plan and panicked to thwart it. Only days before the French settlers arrived, they sent a warship to raise the Union Jack over Akaroa and claim sovereignty under the Treaty of Wiatangi. Some believe that the South Island may well have become a French colony if the settlers had only arrived two years earlier! The French did settle at Akaroa, the 'benevolent' British provided them with five acres as a sign of their good nature!

We walked all through Akaroa over three days. It is a charming sea-side town much like Qualicum Bay, with small shops and cafes. The street and business names lend to creating the feeling of a small French village, and descendents of the original settlers still reside there. The highlights of our stay included a private (no one else booked) wildlife cruise to view the endangered Hector's dolphin, the world's smallest at just over a meter in length, and the local cinema with its big leather seats and bar! I also borrowed a bike and rode/walked the hills to a nearby Maori community to view their church and marae.

Gendarmerie

Akaroa War Memorial

Onuku Church

Onuku Marae Tipuna

Akaroa Dolphins Cruise

Murphy - 1st Mate & Dolphin Spotter, Akaroa Dolphin Cruises

Hector's Dolphin

Hector's Dolphins

Hector's Dolphin

Hidden Valley of Nikau Palms - Most Southerly Grove

Inside A Crater

Returning to Akaroa Harbour

We returned to Ch-Ch Saturday May 30 and headed straight to the Arts Centre where we purchased three limited edition Maori art prints from the artist/gallery owner. We must have spent close to three hours in her gallery over our two visits to admire the various pieces. We capped off our day and last night in Ch-ch with a return visit to Pomeroy's for dinner and a few 'socials'. We enjoyed Steve's hospitality and the warmth of familiar comfortable surroundings immensely .

Saturday Night with the Publican - Steve Pomeroy

We could have stayed late into the night but wisely returned to the backpackers mid-evening because we had booked a 7 am shuttle to the train station the next morning for our Trans-Alpine trip to Greymouth. We didn't need to experience the travellers' surprise of waking late for a connection, especially with non-refundable tickets!

written by  Shane & Norma on June 21, 2009 from Akaroa, New Zealand
from the travel blog: "Not Just Another Rugby Tour" - New Zealand, Samoa and Australia
tagged ChristChurch, Akaroa, ChCh and HectorSDolphin
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