Kidscorner

Sunday 22 January 2012

Another day at Akaroa

As my daughter and her friend had the plan to swim with the dolphins we offered to bring them to Akaroa.
Akaroa is 75km from Christchurch and is a historic French and British settlement nestled in the heart of an ancient volcano.
Friends heard about our plan to go to Akaroa and joined in. Next their daughter and friend joined in. It was hot all week but the weather forecast was rain. We went anyway. I have shown Akaroa already a few times in the sun. Here it is on a rainy/cloudy day.


It poured down when we arrived so we went for a warm coffee first. When we came outside again the rain had stopped and we had a wonderful day.
 
The girls.  This will be one of the last days we will be out together before my daughter (white jacket) moves out. It will be quiet without her. Three of the girls are from Dutch parents.
The bungee jump 

A house in my favourite colour

Usually these chairs are packed with people. Because of the earthquakes the cruise ships arrive in Akaroa instead of Lyttelton, so it can be pretty busy.

The Akaroa Lighthouse. We had a little tour inside and went up the balcony. The lighthouse, build in 1878 has been moved one inch by the earthquake and during the next one it moved back one inch

Part of the bunch on top of the light house

Love al the different colours everywhere

 I would love a house with a porch and sit outside with a book and a glass of wine
 
In Akaroa you see many beautiful cottages

25 comments:

  1. A feast for the eyes. Thanks.

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  2. Hi Marja .. lovely shots - love the hollyhocks and it looks as England used to look - well cared for and loved .. thanks for the tour .. cheers Hilary

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  3. Thanks for showing us a look at these special places. The cottages with porches are really beautiful, I could sit there myself too. It is so colourfull there.

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  4. Oh, what a pretty place … looks like it came right out of a storybook. I believe those are hollyhocks, one of my favorite flowers, in the front of a house. Isn’t it amazing how the second earthquake brought the lighthouse back to its original position? Your photos of family and friends are wonderful, Marja! You will all have go back another day and swim with the dolphins. :)

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  5. Yes, lgsquirrel has it right. This WAS a feast for the eyes. Loves all the color and the rain gave a nice clean sheen to everything. Happy times.

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  6. We have been to Akaroa several times. I love the quaint houses. You have captured the 'flavor' of this little French village perfectly. And yes, it is quiet when the kids leave home, but we are lucky that grandkids now fill that void.

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  7. What a charming place. The colours of the houses are great and flowers everywhere. You are my kind of woman...sitting on the porch with a book and a glass of wine. Shame about the swim being cancelled. That is on my bucket list to swim with dolphins.

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  8. You have a beautiful daughter.
    I totally agree with you: a house with a porch, a book and a glass of wine. What more could you want ;-)
    Beautiful photos of a beautiful place.

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  9. Wonderful, wonderful pictures!
    I loved them all!
    Thanks for sharing, Marja.
    x

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  10. wow..some day i am gonna climb to top of that lighthouse and see the sea :)

    nice to see you having a wonderful weekend :)

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  11. What a picturesque town! The cottages with all the flowers invite photos to be taken and I am pleased you took some to show us. You have a pretty daughter – all my wishes to her to be successful in her studies. The Dalai Lama quote is so true about the way people act.

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  12. Hi Marja. We are running a photographic competition in Akaroa at the moment. If you send me your email to adp@akaroa.com I will send you the details. These photos are worth entering.
    Kind regards-Hollie Hollander (another Dutchie!)

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  13. The bungee jump

    I fell out of my chair laughing on that one!

    Great pictures a always!

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  14. all the colors are beautiful.
    thanks for the photos, but you have jackets . . . i thought it was summer there? Rome is grey and cold.

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  15. So beautiful,Marja!Lovely photos!I wish I could be there too!

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  16. Weer prachtige photos, Marja, met al die verschillende kleuren. Fijn dat de regen niet te lang duurde. Ik moest nog even lachen om die 'bungee jump' foto - hilarious ! And those hollyhocks in the last photo are beautiful !

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  17. It looks real great over there. Love to see more. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  18. Hi Marja! Sorry for the delay; Happy New Year!

    Were you at the Hotel Madeira? When I was there I found weird to see the name of the island where I was born in a hotel in the antipodes... The explanation was that the first owner was also born in Madeira... Incredible!

    Blogtrotter Two is leaving Corsica, finally... ;). Enjoy and have a great year ahead!!!

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  19. Such a colourful place. Beautiful shots.

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  20. Beautiful post Marja! I love every picture..the cottages makes me happy, the flowers...argh..they are killing me. I have a weakness for flowers, i can resist anything...but not flowers, they makes my heart sing. Happy week ahead my friend. love/mk

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  21. Oh Marja,I have to write you a comment to this post again!
    Your lovely photos makes my day better.Here is it soooo cold at the moment.We have a sibirian coldness wave now.Temperatures around minus 10/-20 °C.Maybe you heard already about this.

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  22. Beautiful photos and a beautiful daughter, Marja. I love when you take me with you on a trip. Simply inspiring. Is your daughter going away to school or other plans. Mine have all been gone for a long time now,except my daughter with Lupus did move home for a time. It is an adjustment so hope it all goes well.

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  23. What delightful scenes - I've got a bit behind and am just catching up.

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  24. Marja, ik geniet enorm van je blog. De foto's van Nieuw Zeeland maken wel dat ik heimwee heb naar de tijd dat ik het bezocht. Zo'n prachtig land. Hele mooie foto's. De filosofietjes die je plaatst are taken to heart!

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Thank you!!