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January 2025 (Part 21)

New Zealand Trip - Day Twenty and Twenty-One: Christchurch and Akaroa

For our last full day, we headed out to Akaroa which is out on the end of the peninsula stretching out from Christchurch.  We had reservations to go kayaking in Akaroa Harbor.  After a very curvy drive we met our guide Peter.  As they had double kayaks, Andy teamed up with Anna, who was also visiting the country.  She was Welsh, but now lived in Denmark and worked for Ikea. 

Anna air-dropped some pictures to us too.

Some birds nesting in this interesting looking tree.  Had hoped to see some more sea wildlife, but didn't.

After the paddle, we got lunch at the Grand Hotel, then wandered through town stopping at this war memorial (we saw a war memorial in almost every town we visited).

We then headed up a path along the hillside headed to an overlook, passing through two old cemeteries up on the hillside.

Found a huge Monterey Cypress before we eventually came back down near a lighthouse.

Liked this statue of a painter.  Surprised to find a statue of CDR Frank Worsley, the unbelievable navigator who was born and raised in Akaroa in 1872.  He "was Captain (and navigator) of the Endurance which was crushed in the ice during Shackleton's Antarctic expedition 1914-16.  He navigated the 23 foot James Caird 800 miles to South Georgia (Island) in an epic voyage.  Subsequently all 23 crew were rescued."  He died in England in 1943.

Enjoyed a gelato on our way back through town.

We had to head to the airport early in the afternoon the next day, heading from Christchurch to Aukland.  Enjoyed this wonderful sunset in Aukland while we waited for our flight to Houston then home.