Akaroa

This morning we went for a trip to Akaroa. The weather didn't look good There were dark clouds in the sky. William said however "Dutch people don't melt from water" and off we went. Akaroa is about an hour drive from where we live and located at the end of the Banks Peninsula. The streets have French names because it was originally a French settlement. A ship called "Compte de Paris" arrived in 1940 when the country just became an English colony.

Akaroa was abandoned this morning or the other people did melt. Only a cat posed for us.

Akaroa is magnificently situated alongside a bay and surrounded by hills. When the weather is good you can take a boat trip to watch the Hector dolphins, the smallest dolphins in the world.

The charm of Akaroa is the beautiful cottages and old buildings along the main street and in the side streets. Lots of them are turned into shops with arts and crafts or they became coffee shops. Usually something from these shops keeps sticking on me, but this time I followed William who always increases his speed when we pass a craft shop. I thought I already treated myself on a beautiful scarf (I am a scarfoholic) last week. For half price however as it fits a genuine Dutch person.