The ride to Akaroa from Christchurch is my ‘go to’ ride when I’m in need of a great day out on the bike and some good quality miles, and it’s been even more valuable in recent times giving the fact we have two young daughters at home, aged 17 and three months, so it’s provided the opportunity to combine a great ride with some quality family time too.

The great thing about riding to Akaroa is that not only does it provide some great climbing, fantastic views, fast descents and some good flat riding, meaning you get a range of cycling experiences, afterwards you get to hang out in Akaroa with the family and experience the charm of the historic village nestled in the heart of an ancient volcano.

There are loads a great accommodation options to stay overnight and Akaroa Harbour and the surrounding hills provides an enormous range of activities, including cruises on the harbour and the chance to swim with the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin, the Hector’s Dolphin.

Riding over and staying with the family who drive over combines training with valuable family time, and then there’s always the option of riding back the following day.

With the iconic Le Race cycle event looming it’s a great time to combine an awesome training ride over to Akaroa, an afternoon out on the Harbour and then an evening in Akaroa.

The ride over includes 1800 metres of climbing so you really do get a good solid work out. The Le Race course heads up Colombo Street and then climbs up Dyers Pass, right past where we live, up into the Port Hills above Christchurch passing first the Sign of the Takahe, then the Sign of the Kiwi at over 300 metres above sea level – also the first spot for the King and Queen of the Mountains competition on race day – before turning right and heading along the Summit Road.

From high up on the Summit Road there are magnificent views across the Canterbury Plains to the Southern Alps and eastwards to the sea up Lyttleton harbour.

The ride around the Summit Road really is quite special. With awesome views it never fails to impress me, and I know we can be guilty of taking it all for granted at times.

The road south along the Summit Road has a number of short power climbs and descents  before the first fast long downhill through to Gebbies Pass before turning right and heading towards Motukarara.

The downhill towards Gebbies Pass has several cattle stops, so taking it carefully is important, and after the recent heavy rain there is the odd section of debris on the road, but nothing too bad and you can be sure by race day on the 29^th it will all be well tidied up.

Once on the flat you take the first left and head long Millers Road that takes you out to the main Christchurch to Akaroa Road. From here the road heads toward Little River and Cooptown, hugging first Lake Ellesmere and then the smaller Lake Forsyth. Little River is a great place to stop for a coffee and fuel up before tackling the six kilometre Hill Top climb.  There are a couple of nice cafes and an art gallery well worth a visit.

The climb up to Hill Top gives you a sense of the ‘Tour de France’ hence the Le Race being referred to as a ‘slice of the Tour de France.’

Although the uphill efforts are much shorter than the famous European climbs, there is a sense of real alpine efforts and once at the top of Hill Top there are magnificent views across the peninsula including spotting Akaroa in the distance.

The main road dips to the right but most cyclists follow the route for Le Race, turning to the left to follow the Summit Road as it loops high above Akaroa Harbour off to the right and Pigeon, Okains and Le Bons Bays to the left.

This section is where the business is really done on race day, but on a nice day on a ‘training’ ride its one of the most spectacular sections of road to ride anywhere, and well worth taking a moment to ‘small the roses’ and appreciate what a magnificent part of the world it is.

Eventually the road drops down into Long Bay Road and into Akaroa itself, where a well earned coffee and lunch with the family await.

After lunch there’s the opportunity to explore the town or head out on the harbour to get up close and personal with the marine life, including the playful Hector’s dolphins, and then stay the night, like the Tui adverts, ‘well earned.’

Wondering what to do for Valentine’s Day? Looking for a romantic getaway? Well we are here to help! Whether you plan to come to Akaroa for Valentine’s Day or simply for a weekend escape with your loved one, no stay in Akaroa would be complete without a sampling of the delicious local cuisine on offer.  So we have listed 5 of the best places to dine in Akaroa. With its French origins lending a taste of Europe to the seaside fare, Akaroa makes the perfect destination for a romantic evening of tantalising the taste buds. Try these great eateries for an authentic Akaroa eating experience. Remember, if you want a table for the 14th…book in advance!

Ma Maison

”Overlooking Dailey’s wharf and the Akaroa Harbour, Ma Maison is one of Akaroa’s hidden gems. The view speaks for itself!” Set right by the waters edge with its panoramic views and complete with a romantic open fire and terrace perfect for sipping champagne Ma Maison ticks all the right boxes.

2 Rue Jolie, Akaroa  Tel: 03 304 7668

The Little Bistro

The Little Bistro serves hearty, locally sourced, seasonal meals in a fantastic atmosphere.

A Canterbury focused wine list completes the picture to wash down what we’ve termed ‘rustic european’ inspired cuisine. If wine is not your thing, there are many craft beers, artisan sodas or even peninsula roasted coffee. With service that goes the extra mile, the best bentwood chair collection in town and an outlook over the green to the sea and volcanic hills of Akaroa,  join them for an unforgettable evening.

The Trading Rooms

With beautiful architecture and interior design inspired by the Kaikoura store from which it gets its name, the Trading Rooms Restaurant and Pantryis dedicated to providing a wonderful eating experience. Locally sourced and hand-picked ingredients comprise much of what you’ll find in the Trading Rooms’ pantry, much of which is turned into quaint jars of jams and preserves for you to take home. And as for the menu, the impressive array of local and international chefs have created a list of items to suit the season. Catering to the catch of the day from the harbour and coming up with exquisite dishes from seasonal fruits and vegetables, the Trading Rooms is definitely one to try for an authentic local dining adventure.

Bully Hayes

Easy going during the day and romantic at night, this fantastic seaside restaurant and bar gives you good reason to come back for breakfast, lunch and dinner right through the week. With several indoor and outdoor dining areas to choose from, as well as a play area for the kids, you can pick your setting to enjoy the range of delicious meals while knowing that the little ones are having a good time too.

Highlights from the breakfast menu include the Breakfast Omelette, with several variations to suit your taste, or if you’re feeling ravenous there’s Bully’s Fatty Boomba Breakfast, which could keep you going for days with its bacon, eggs, black pudding, hash browns and grilled tomatoes on toasted grain bread. Lunch and dinner offer an array of pasta, bread, salad, and soup dishes along with mains crafted from locally sourced ingredients and cooked to perfection.

Akaroa Fish & Chips

It doesn’t get much more Kiwi than Fish & Chips, and Akaroa is famous for theirs. Akaroa Fish & Chips serves up good ol’ Kiwi tucker to Cantabrians and tourists who are after a taste of classic New Zealand cuisine. Fish of the day comes from the harbour itself, and a good giant burger will give you plenty of energy for exploring the bay. Although it may not be the healthiest or most fine dining-esque option along the water front, it’s definitely one that allows you to do your own thing and choose your own waterfront setting.

The Morning After…

If you are spending the night in Akaroa L’escargot Rouge Deli is the perfect place to start the day, the following morning! L’escargot Rouge Deli serves delicious French Style breakfasts. ‘Le Parisien’ breakfast is a popular choice, including a baguette, croissant, pain au chocolat and a side of fresh fruit for a classic sampling of a French morning’s cuisine. Other quintessentially French dishes on offer are the Croque Monsieur, which is Brioche served with Dijon, ham, Swiss cheese and Mornay sauce, and can be upgraded to a Croque Madame with the addition of a poached egg on top. L’escargot Rouge also offers an extensive range of sweet and savoury bakery items to snack on throughout the day. You’ll be ready for a day of exploring Akaroa.

67 Beach Road, Akaroa

We’d love to hear what your favourite romantic Akaroa spots are…leave us a comment below 🙂

Although it may lack the glitz and the glamour of a big city celebration, there’s nothing quite like bringing in the new year in Canterbury’s own little piece of paradise. Whether you’re spending the night with family, friends, or that special someone, Banks Peninsula has got you covered for the perfect way to welcome in 2014.

1.)    Sea Shanties – On the 31^st the Hilltop Tavern welcomes in the New Year by bringing lovers of oceanic folk not only the Wellington Sea Shanty Society, but also the much-loved French sea shanty band, Croche Dedans. Bust out the peg legs and eye patches for a night full of some of the finest seaside songs the world has to offer, and see in 2014 overlooking the best views of the bays with a cold beer in hand.

2.)    Dinner and Bubbles – The French Farm on Winery Road in Akaroa is putting on quite the spread to send off the year. With your ticket you’ll receive a four-course meal, live music from XFilesDuo, and the obligatory glass of bubbly against this gorgeous backdrop.

3.)    Golfing – Once you’ve recovered from the New Years night festivities, why not get out and about at Akaroa Golf Club? On the 2^nd of January they hold their annual Men’s New Year Tournament, and on the 3^rd it’s a ladies affair with the ‘Wine and Roses’ tournament out on the green.

4.)    Back to the Future – Just over the hill from Lyttelton, you can celebrate the New Year by pretending it’s an old one. The Watershed, situated next to the estuary, is putting on a 70s and 80s Retro Themed party. Grab a ticket, dig out that pantsuit or those bellbottoms, and party it up by the water.

5.)    Camping at Corsair – If you’re after a little getaway with some mates, book a spot and pitch a tent at Corsair bay. Perhaps the best place to watch the sunrise on a new year’s morning, the beautiful beach and gorgeous scenery are sure to make it a very happy new year indeed.

It’s over, and, according to everyone who spoke to us, the conference was a resounding success. The first day of “plenary talks” – held in the Dunedin town hall – was excellent. Nine outstanding speakers, mostly international but some local, gave us an overview of conservation successes & failures, distilling the key reasons why. The star of the day was New Zealand’s ex-minister of fisheries Pete Hodgson.

Deservedly hailed as a hero of NZ conservation for being the first minister of fisheries to take dolphin conservation seriously, Pete gave a funny and inspiring account of how he put into place the protected area for Maui’s dolphin. His account of what science made the difference, and how science and politics often collide, but need more to co-operate, made everyone think hard.

This year we celebrated as after years of campaigning the proposed marine reserve for Akaroa was finally approved.

The next four days of the conference were held on Otago University’s campus. With over 348 talks in four concurrent sessions, it was impossible to go to all the ones you wanted to. And there were some really fabulous presentations. So many that it’s hard to single out one or even just a few that were especially good. Terrific, innovative science presented really well by dedicated researchers. Hearing these, and talking to the presenters afterwards, asking questions and sharing ideas – perhaps over a glass of wine, is what conferences offer that is so different to reading each other’s scientific papers.

Two poster evenings, on Tuesday and Thursday, allowed conference goers to view 400 posters summarising research, mostly by students, from all over the globe. Many were excellent, showing that the future of marine mammal science is in good hands. The space available was too tight on the first evening, but a nimble reshuffle by the poster organisers made the second poster evening much more effective and enjoyable. Poster evenings are not passive – the poster author stays with their poster, so they can explain what they did and answer questions. It’s a great way to communicate science.

The last day’s presentations finished at 3pm, and everyone put on their glad rags for the conference dinner and dance. We’d hired Mojo, a band from Queenstown, to get everyone dancing. They did a great job. When the advertised end-time arrived, they were not allowed to stop. It’s great to see very well-known scientists letting down their hair (those that still have hair) prancing around among the students – without too much fear of embarrassment.

All in all, it was a great occasion. Many said it was the best conference they’d ever been to. Also, for many conference goers it put New Zealand on the map. Most were first time visitors. Many said they would be back.

For our team, it was a lot of work to organise, but deeply satisfying. We’re looking forward to some decompression, however!

____________

Websites
Marine Science Department
http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinescience/staff/stevedawson.html

NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust
www.whaledolphintrust.org.nz.

Steve Dawson PhD

Professor

Dept of Marine Science

University of Otago

310 Castle Street

(P.O. Box 56)

Dunedin 9016

New Zealand

Trustee, NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust

This past Saturday was not quite the big day, but it was the first of the big days. Several hundred marine mammal scientists, from all over world, assembled on Otago University’s campus in Dunedin for a set of pre-conference workshops.

The workshops cover a wide range of topics, some predictable – gatherings of scientists who work on particular species (e.g. right whales) or in a particular region (e.g. Hawaii), and others not. Firmly in the “not” category is “What can the Cloud do to save whales”. This was a group concerned about vessel collisions with whales, hoping to develop ways that real-time monitoring and internet technology can be applied to reduce the likelihood of collisions. One development is to have folks in the shipping industry log their sightings with a mobile app called “spotter” which uploads those to a constantly changing map of where whales are – so that area can be avoided by ship captains.

Other workshops focussed on impacts of tourism, bycatch in fishing, and assessing effects of coastal development. And that’s just Saturday, a further set of workshops run tomorrow.

The really big day is today, Monday. About 1200 people will be gathering in the Dunedin Town Hall to listen to a set of  “Keynote” addresses by world experts. Today sets the theme of the conference “Marine Mammal Conservation, Science making a difference” by having talks on conservation successes, frustrations and failures, with local and international case studies presented by scientists who are true conservation heroes. The idea is to map out ways to more effectively turn science findings into conservation action – to bridge the gap between science and politics.

It’s an exciting time. The biggest scientific conference ever held in Dunedin. Many, very smart people, working on the most interesting animals on the planet, together in one place. Very cool!

For us on the organising team, there’s some relief. First hurdle cleared. So far, no problems.

Steve Dawson

____________

Steve Dawson PhD

Professor

Dept of Marine Science

Websites
Marine Science Department
http://www.otago.ac.nz/marinescience/staff/stevedawson.html
www.whaledolphintrust.org.nz.

NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust