Feeling Old and Not so Bold
Made It!
Akaroa from the TopThe morning was brilliant so we headed for Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula for the day. Akaroa was a French colony and still retains a French flavour that includes French tourists looking for good food and wine. Unfortunately our destination French Farm just outside town was closed on Tuesday so we headed into the village for lunch. Though the destination offers myriad distractions for the tourist, the town is still charming.
We bought a day hike plan from the tourist information office and began our relentless 1 ½ hour ascent on the Heritage Tree Trail for a stunning view of the town and harbour. Along the way bell birds serenaded each other and provided some distraction. This was another of those Kiwi hikes that warned: moderate fitness level required. Were we up to it?
We made it to the top, snapped a few photos then headed down. We enjoyed the descent through Tree Crop Farm fields that were posted with signs such as Feeling Old and Not So Bold? And Chickens Come from Broken Homes. We love that Kiwi humour.
We stopped at Pepper Tree Cafe for a delicious Schwepps Lemon Lime Bitter beverage in tall glasses of ice and were entertained by the resident Chihuahua, Bruno, who took great pleasure in terrorizing a three year old patron. We also saw a native New Zealand Wood Pigeon – a huge bird. The birds in this country seem to be on steroids, the Weta, Pukeko, Wood Pigeon, KaKa, Kea and, of course, the infamous Kiwi. I guess they grew to such a size over the centuries because they had no natural predators. Some are developing wings again, to escape the possums, ferrets and stoats etc. Smart move.
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