From North to South

These are our last few hours on the North Island until just before we leave New Zealand. We bid farewell to the land of Maori, Zorb, and smelly warmth, and hop on a plane to Christchurch.

A quick tour of Christchurch reveals that it was truly devastated by the earthquakes last year, and is still recovering. We pick up supplies and head southeast to the Banks peninsula, and into a massive rainstorm. Eric puts on his Ryan Gosling face and drives straight in, through windy, foggy roads that are thankfully nearly completely free of traffic.

The clouds and rain don’t let up until after we’ve checked in at Kereru, our B&B perched on a mountaintop overlooking Akaroa harbor, so we head down into Akaroa proper to get some dinner. Oysters and Monteith’s Black tide us over while we take in the tiny town. Babushka Gloriane sings along with “Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” to keep us warm on the chilly patio.

We find that bookings really *are* essential, especially in a town as small as Akaroa, and accept a 9:15 reservation at The Little Bistro. But it’s well worth it — amazing French-tinged Kiwi grub, and dessert served with a tiny shovel — enough for sweet dreams that night back on the mountain.