The final weekend my parents were in New Zealand we planned one last adventure, a spot of penguin hunting just outside of Akaroa, about an hour and a half from Christchurch. We had previously visited Flea Bay with them and decided that we wanted to go back to the area to try and see some more wildlife.
After stopping along the way for a delicious brunch, we joined a guided tour of the Pohatu Marine Reserve and despite visiting some places we had already visited, it was great to explore the area with a knowledgeable guide. Of course, it also helped that the wildlife decided to put on quite a show for us.
As we sat on the cliff tops looking out over the entrance to Akaroa harbour far below us we were able to see groups of penguins swimming. The faint line of bubbles in the bottom right of the picture above is where there were several Little Blue Penguins swimming and feeding.
From Akaroa Head we make our way back along the ridge towards Flea Bay. We stopped at a small pull-off at the side of the road, and as we walked to the edge we had a beautiful view out over Akaroa harbour. From our vantage point it was easy to see how the Māori name for Akaroa is Kāi Tahu which translates as “Long Harbour”, high above the water on the crater rim, even the massive cruise ship anchored in the bay looked small.
We were dropped off at the start of a track that would lead us down towards Flea Bay. As we descended into the gully we would occasionally see a rough sign indicating a waterfall just off of the track.
After making our way through the thick bush to the first waterfall, we quickly realised that these little detours were well worth the time as each of the waterfalls in this valley were unique and quite spectacular given that the Banks Peninsula is better known for its grassy slopes.
As we continued to descend, the dense undergrowth cleared just enough to give us a view down into Flea Bay where we would be spending the night. Knowing that our luggage was being delivered and that we had a shuttle that would take us back to town the next day we were able to enjoy the easy downhill stroll to the bay.